In the Twenties, Cartier-Bresson did his military service in the French air force and had ambitions to become a pilot#During the second world war Cartier-Bresson was captured by the Germans. After two unsuccessful attempts he finally managed to escape in 1943#In 1978 London's Hayward gallery mounted an exhibition of Cartier-Bresson's work. When he arrived an attendant told him cameras were not allowed inside. Cartier-Bresson reluctantly left his famous Leica in the cloakroom#Two of Cartier-Bresson's Magnum colleagues were killed in action. David Seymour died in Suez in 1956 and Robert Capa was blown up by a land mine in Indo-China#Cartier-Bresson made a documentary on the hospitals of Republican Spain during the civil war in 1937 entitled 'Victoire de la Vie'#Cartier-Bresson was the first photographer to be admitted to the Soviet Union during the thaw following the death of Stalin in 1953#"Photography I know nothing about," said Cartier-Bresson. "There's nothing to know about it. The camera interferes more with us than the typewriter of a writer."#In 1947 Cartier-Bresson was one of the founders of the Magnum photo agency. It is still one of the most prestigious photographic agencies in the world#In 1969 Cartier-Bresson's work was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London - the first time a living photographer was afforded such an honour#In 1970 Cartier-Bresson moved briefly into moving pictures, hired by CBS to shoot a film in California examining the American dream. In the Thirties he had worked as assistant to the legendary French film director Jean Renoir
