29 - André KERTÉSZ (1894–1985)

André KERTÉSZ (1894–1985) Distortion, Paris, 1933 A curled-up female nude, her body disproportionately rounded by a distorting mirror. Silver print 12.6 x 17.6 cm Inscription on the reverse: “Distorsione” (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 Editions, “I maggiori fotografi del nostro mondo” series, No. 1, [1985], reproduced on p. 41. Born in Budapest in 1894, André Kertész began photographing rural Hungarian life in 1912, then his comrades-in-arms 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.