Picto has its roots in an engaging story: how a close bond developed in the 1930s between Pierre Gassmann and Brassaï. Pierre was living in an attic garret, while Brassaï already occupied the choicest storeys of the same apartment block in Paris. A passion for pictures brought them together.

Pierre became the regular developer for the author of Paris de Nuit, and then for the 20th century’s leading photographers: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Chim, William Klein, Robert Doisneau, and others. The creation of Picto in 1950 sealed the relationship between the photographer and his lab. Although techniques have fundamentally changed in the past sixty years —from traditional black and white to online developing and printing hubs —Picto knows that the bond between creators and lab technicians is key to producing a photographic artwork. This tradition endures today, as new talents entrust the firm with printing their pictures. Picto offers a journey through sixty years of history, from two perspectives: the evolution in developing and printing techniques, and the various artistic sensibilities that have marked these decades. The show does not claim to be exhaustive; rather, it is a singular proposition featuring numerous photographers who have agreed to lend us one of their pictures. ‘La complicité’, the subject of this exhibition, in French describes the human bond without which photography would probably not exist. Through this event, Picto is reaffirming its raison d’être for the next sixty years: See with the eyes of others!

Christian Caujolle, exhibition curator.