Rien que la terre : photomontages politiques de l'hebdomadaire Marianne, 1932-1940

We cite from the INTRO by Bernard Dudoignon:
"The collection of photomontages in this catalogue appeared in Marianne between 1932 and 1940. We have decided to reproduce only original photomontages or vintage silver prints made by the author. It includes about twenty percent of the total number of photomontages that were published and about one half of those published in 1939 and 1940."
"The photomontages come from two collections discovered within a period of five years. I believe it is important to show that they not only inform us about the preoccupations of France just before the war, but also constitute a piece of work in their own right, with their own flow, their intellectual and formal consistency, their amazing power and weaknesses."
"Emmanuel Berl inspired and led the Marianne adventure until 1937 and I hope that Bernard Morlino's article will make you want to know more about this free spirit, just as Ulrich Hägele's article will draw you to closer examination and appreciation of the montages."
"These montages summarize the very essence of photography : an extraordinary way to represent reality that is all the more powerful when it pulls its subject out of reality and stages it. They were produced week after week, reflecting the news of the day (and what news it was !).There is still a lot to be discovered about the relationship between these montages and the political reality of the times and Claire-Odile Bodin's text gives us an idea of what this could be. Their relationship to their author and to photographic and literary avant-garde are among other endless possibilities of study."