From 1937 to 1939, this unassuming building housed the Atelier Robert Capa. It wasn’t a photography studio in the traditional sense. Instead, it served as a hub for three pioneering photojournalists: Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and David “Chim” Seymour. The Atelier Robert Capa Plaque commemorates their time here, in the heart of Paris’s 14th arrondissement, just across from the Montparnasse Cemetery. They were Jewish refugees, Capa and Chim, fleeing rising antisemitism in Hungary and Poland respectively. Paris offered them sanctuary, a place to hone their craft and document a world on the brink of war. They became key figures in modern photojournalism. Capa and Chim would later co-found the prestigious Magnum Photos agency. Imagine them here, in this very spot, developing their photographs, discussing their work, and dreaming of a world without conflict. Taro, Capa’s partner both professionally and personally, tragically died covering the Spanish Civil War in 1937. Capa himself met a similar fate in Indochina in 1954, stepping on a landmine while on assignment for Life magazine. Chim, too, would perish on a battlefield, covering the Suez Crisis in 1956. Their lives were tragically cut short. But their legacy lives on, etched in the images they captured and commemorated by the Atelier Robert Capa Plaque. Their work gave a human face to conflict, capturing the raw realities of war and its impact on ordinary people. The plaque serves as a reminder of their courage, their commitment to truth, and the enduring power of photojournalism.
Église Notre-Dame de l’Air
Beneath what appears to be a simple stone and wood structure lies a history interwoven with faith aviation and community.