André Kertész

André Kertész is a retrospective exhibition of the work of one of the 20th-century's greatest photographers. The first major Kertész retrospective of vintage prints in this country, the exhibition—organized by the National Gallery of Art—showcases approximately 140 works. Born in Hungary in 1894, he first began to photograph in 1912. As evidenced by some of his earliest surviving photographs, he appears to have recognized almost immediately that he could use the camera to explore, preserve, and question his relationship to the world. In 1925 he moved to Paris, where he was successful in selling his photographs to leading European newspapers and journals and where he befriended some of the leading artists of the time including Mondrian, Léger, Chagall, Calder, and Eisenstein. The work of these artists, and others, intensified his awareness of how he could use formal structure to impart both mood and meaning in his photographs. It was at this time that he created some of the most celebrated works in all of twentieth-century photography. In 1936, Kertész moved to the United States. Almost immediately he realized that his European sensibility would not easily merge with an American way of doing business. Turning inward, he continued to make photographs for himself that express not only his fascination with the spectacle of New York City, but also his growing sense of isolation and loneliness. He died in 1985. LACMA is the only West Coast venue for this important retrospective.

Pressetext

André Kertész
Kurator: Robert Sobieszek

Stationen:
6.2.05 - 15.5.05 National Gallery, Washington
12.6.05 - 5.9.05 Los Angeles County Museum of Art