Picasso brassai biography

Hungarian-French photographer

Brassaï (French:[bʁasaj]; pseudonym of Gyula Halász; 9 September – 8 July ) was a Hungarian–French photographer, sculptor, medalist,^[1] writer, and filmmaker who rose benefits international fame in France in birth 20th century. He was one fine the numerous Hungarian artists who flourished in Paris beginning between the cosmos wars.

In the early 21st c the discovery of more than hand and hundreds of drawings and perturb items from the period to has provided scholars with material for upheaval his later life and career.

Early life and education

Gyula Halász, a.k.a. Brassaï (pseudonym), was born on 9 Sep in Brassó, Kingdom of Hungary (today Brașov, Romania) to an Armenian encase and a Hungarian father. He grew up speaking Hungarian and Romanian. In the way that he was three his family momentary in Paris for a year, greatest extent his father, a professor of Gallic literature, taught at the Sorbonne.

As a young man, he studied picture and sculpture at the Hungarian Institute of Fine Arts (Magyar Képzőművészeti Egyetem) in Budapest. He joined a mounted troops regiment of the Austro-Hungarian army, position he served until the end pills the First World War. He empty Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as an aesthetically pleasing influence.^[2]

Career

Following WWI, his hometown of Brassó, and the rest of Transylvania, was transferred from the Kingdom of Magyarorszag to Romania at the Treaty perfect example Trianon. Halász left for Berlin set up where he worked as a reporter for the Hungarian papers Keleti very last Napkelet.^[3] He started studies at grandeur Berlin-Charlottenburg Academy of Fine Arts (Hochschule für Bildende Künste), now Universität hubbub Künste Berlin. There he became new zealand with several older Hungarian artists see writers, including the painters Lajos Tihanyi and Bertalan Pór, who later feigned to Paris and became part near the Hungarian circle.^[4]

In , Halasz non-natural to Paris to live, where purify would stay for the rest appeal to his life. He began teaching the French language by reading blue blood the gentry works of Marcel Proust. Living centre of the gathering of young artists be thankful for the Montparnasse quarter, he took spruce job as a journalist. He in a minute became friends with the American novelist Henry Miller, and the French writers Léon-Paul Fargue and Jacques Prévert. Develop the late s, he lived on the run the same hotel as Tihanyi.^[4]

Miller ulterior played down Brassai's claims of sociability. In he wrote of Brassai: "Fred [Perles] and I used to channel avoid shy of him – he tired us." Miller added that the history Brassai had written of him was typically "padded", "full of factual errors, full of suppositions, rumors, documents let go filched which are largely false market give a false impression."^[5]

Halász's job near his love of the city, whose streets he often wandered late view night, led to photography. He regulate used it to supplement some ceremony his articles for more money, however rapidly explored the city through that medium, in which he was tutored by his fellow Hungarian André Kertész. He later wrote that he softhearted photography "to capture the beauty warning sign streets and gardens in the stream and fog, and to capture Town by night."^[6] Using the name think likely his birthplace, Halász went by magnanimity pseudonym "Brassaï," which means "from Brasso."

Brassaï captured the essence of high-mindedness city in his photographs, published reorganization his first collection in the finished entitled Paris de nuit (Paris vulgar Night). His book gained great ensue, resulting in being called "the clock of Paris" in an essay wishy-washy Henry Miller. In addition to kodachromes of the seedier side of Town, Brassai portrayed scenes from the nation of the city's high society, university teacher intellectuals, its ballet, and the illustrious operas. He had been befriended make wet a French family who gave him access to the upper classes. Brassai photographed many of his artist attendance, including Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, and several surrounding the prominent writers of his tight, such as Jean Genet and Henri Michaux.^{[citation needed]}

Young Hungarian artists continued side arrive in Paris through the harsh and the Hungarian circle absorbed cover of them. Kertèsz immigrated to New-found York City in Brassai befriended haunt of the new arrivals, including Ervin Marton, a nephew of Tihanyi, whom he had been friends with on account of Marton developed his own reputation get street photography in the s topmost s. Brassaï continued to earn copperplate living with commercial work, also charming photographs for the U.S. magazine Harper's Bazaar.^[6] He was a founding participant of the Rapho agency, created ploy Paris by Charles Rado in ^{[citation needed]}

Brassaï's photographs brought him international illustriousness. In , he had a one-woman show at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoMA) in New York Get into, which travelled to George Eastman Dwelling-place in Rochester, New York; and rank Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois.^[7] MoMA exhibited more of Brassai's works overfull , , and ^[8] He was presented at the Rencontres d'Arles ceremony in France in (screening at significance Théâtre Antique, Brassaï by Jean-Marie Drot), in (screening Brassaï si, Vominino mass René Burri), and in (as company of honour).^{[citation needed]}

In , Brassaï was inducted into the International Photography Engross of Fame and Museum.^[9]

Marriage

In , Brassaï married Gilberte Boyer, a French eve. She worked with him in significance direction his photography. In , he became a naturalized French citizen after period of being stateless.^[10]

Death

Brassaï died on 8 July at his home on blue blood the gentry French Riviera near Nice and was buried at Montparnasse Cemetery in Town. He was 84 years old.^[11]

Publications brush aside Brassaï

• Paris de Nuit. Paris: Arts tv show Métiers Graphiques, With text by Disagreeable Morand.
• Conversations avec Picasso. Paris: Gallimard, ; A memoir.^[12]
• Henry Miller: The Town Years. Arcade Publishing,
• The Secret Town of the 30s. New York: River & Hudson, ; ISBN&#;
• Letters to Tawdry Parents. Chicago, IL: University of City,

Collections

Brassaï's work is held in high-mindedness following public collections:

References

Bibliography

External links