23 - André KERTÉSZ (1894–1985)

André KERTÉSZ (1894–1985) Semi-Nude, 1921 A young woman, bare-chested, in a garden, her arm folded across her eyes, a piece of fabric tied around her waist. Silver print 23.8 x 17.6 cm Inscription on the reverse: A. KERTESZ / DEMI-NU 1921 (handwritten in pencil) Provenance: former collection of Jean-Marie Drot Bibliography: Omaggio a André Kertesz 1894–1985 (Budapest, Paris, New York, Rome), Rome, Accademia di Francia – Villa Medici, Carte Segrete, “I maggiori fotografi del nostro mondo” series, No. 1, [1985], reproduced on p. 33 and on the cover, under the title “Woman with Bare Breasts, Poland, July 23, 1921.” Born in Budapest in 1894, André Kertész began photographing rural Hungarian life in 1912, then his fellow soldiers during World War I. After settling in Paris in 1925, he mingled with the Montparnasse avant-garde, began exhibiting in 1927, and established himself as one of the pioneers of modern photography and photojournalism, adopting the Leica in 1928. After emigrating to New York in 1936, he worked for many years in magazine journalism before being honored by the Museum of Modern Art in 1964. His poetic vision—attuned to shadows, reflections, and mundane scenes—had a profound influence on Brassaï, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and generations of photographers. He died in New York in 1985, after donating his negatives to the French government.