Once you've seen it, it's hard to forget the piercing gaze of this blond adolescent in overalls, brows furrowed, staring directly at you as he holds up a rattlesnake he has just skinned. Innocence and cruelty compete in this image, which showcases the talent of photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004), who took this portrait in 1979 in Texas during the annual snake hunt in the small town of Sweetwater. This was the beginning of his emblematic project "In the American West" that took him across 17 US states, where he photographed nearly 1,000 people from 1979 to 1984 and revealed a poor, hardworking America, far removed from the clichés and the myth of the glorious American West. He carried out this series with neither sociological intent nor a concern for objectivity. "This is a fictional West," he said. "I don't think the West of these portraits is any more conclusive than the West of John Wayne."

The American photographer, a major figure in fashion photography in the second half of the 20^th century, was known for his spectacular displays and taste for large formats. It is doubtful that he would have appreciated this exhibition dedicated to his landmark series at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris. Here, the works are displayed throughout the building in classic fashion – in a single line – and in unusually small formats (40 × 50 centimeters). "These are the reference prints, made by the photographer at the time, to produce the prints for his book and the enlargements shown in his exhibitions," explained Clément Chéroux, the foundation's director. These prints were not intended for exhibition, but nonetheless their remarkable quality allows the public − for the first time in Europe − to discover this exceptional work in its entirety. Even in small format, these portraits remain as powerful as ever.

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