For a 20-year renewable term, the Musée de l'Elysée holds most of the work of Swiss photographer René Burri (1933-2014). Member of the Magnum agency since his 26 years, he will testify with intelligence and accuracy, throughout his career, of the significant events of his time.
Besides his work with often imposed subjects, René Burri also photographs for himself, giving free rein to his imagination. He says that the practice of collage came to him to manage his anxiety about flying. With this artistic practice, Burri develops his own graphic compositions by cutting, tearing and assembling his photographs.

René Burri's photocollage presented here evokes the construction of Jean Tinguely's Cyclops. Created in the forest of Milly, France, this monumental installation of concrete and iron is the result of several years of collaborative work between the Swiss sculptor, his wife Niki de Saint-Phalle and some fifteen artists from the Nouveaux Réalistes group.