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Brassaï

January 31, 2023

Brassaï (French: [bʁa'saj]; pseudonym of Gyula Halász; 9 September 1899 – 8 July 1984) was a Hungarian–French photographer, sculptor, medalist,[1] writer, and filmmaker who rose to international fame in France in the 20th century. He was one of the numerous Hungarian artists who flourished in Paris beginning between the world wars.

Brassaï (Gyula Halász)
Self-portrait
Born
Gyula Halász

(1899-09-09)9 September 1899
Brassó, Kingdom of Hungary Transylvania (now Brașov Romania)
Died8 July 1984(1984-07-08) (aged 84)
Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France
NationalityHungarian/French
Alma materHungarian Academy of Fine Arts
Occupation(s)Photographer, writer, sculptor and painter
SpouseGilberte-Mercédès Boyer

In the early 21st century, the discovery of more than 200 letters and hundreds of drawings and other items from the period 1940 to 1984 has provided scholars with material for understanding his later life and career.

Early life and education

Gyula (Julius) Halász, Brassaï (pseudonym) was born on 9 September 1899 in Brassó, Kingdom of Hungary (today Brașov, Romania) to an Armenian mother and a Hungarian father. He grew up speaking Hungarian and Romanian. When he was three his family lived in Paris for a year, while his father, a professor of French literature, taught at the Sorbonne.

As a young man, Halász studied painting and sculpture at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts (Magyar Képzőművészeti Egyetem) in Budapest. He joined a cavalry regiment of the Austro-Hungarian army, where he served until the end of the First World War.

He cited Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as an artistic influence.[2]

Career

Following WWI, his hometown of Brassó, and the rest of Transylvania, was transferred from the Kingdom of Hungary to Romania at the Treaty of Trianon. Halász left for Berlin in 1920 where he worked as a journalist for the Hungarian papers Keleti and Napkelet.[3] He started studies at the Berlin-Charlottenburg Academy of Fine Arts (Hochschule für Bildende Künste), now Universität der Künste Berlin. There he became friends with several older Hungarian artists and writers, including the painters Lajos Tihanyi and Bertalan Pór, and the writer György Bölöni, each of whom later moved to Paris and became part of the Hungarian circle.[4]

In 1924, Halasz moved to Paris to live, where he would stay for the rest of his life. He began teaching himself the French language by reading the works of Marcel Proust. Living among the gathering of young artists in the Montparnasse quarter, he took a job as a journalist. He soon became friends with the American writer Henry Miller, and the French writers Léon-Paul Fargue and Jacques Prévert. In the late 1920s, he lived in the same hotel as Tihanyi.[4]

Miller later played down Brassai's claims of friendship. In 1976 he wrote of Brassai: "Fred [Perles] and I used to steer shy of him – he bored us." Miller added that the biography Brassai had written of him was typically "padded", "full of factual errors, full of suppositions, rumors, documents he filched which are largely false or give a false impression."[5]

Halász's job and his love of the city, whose streets he often wandered late at night, led to photography. He first used it to supplement some of his articles for more money, but rapidly explored the city through this medium, in which he was tutored by his fellow Hungarian André Kertész. He later wrote that he used photography "to capture the beauty of streets and gardens in the rain and fog, and to capture Paris by night."[6] Using the name of his birthplace, Halász went by the pseudonym "Brassaï," which means "from Brasso."

Brassaï captured the essence of the city in his photographs, published as his first collection in the 1933 book entitled Paris de nuit (Paris by Night). His book gained great success, resulting in being called "the eye of Paris" in an essay by Henry Miller. In addition to photos of the seedier side of Paris, Brassai portrayed scenes from the life of the city's high society, its intellectuals, its ballet, and the grand operas. He had been befriended by a French family who gave him access to the upper classes. Brassai photographed many of his artist friends, including Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, and several of the prominent writers of his time, such as Jean Genet and Henri Michaux.

Young Hungarian artists continued to arrive in Paris through the 1930s and the Hungarian circle absorbed most of them. Kertèsz immigrated to New York City in 1936. Brassai befriended many of the new arrivals, including Ervin Marton, a nephew of Tihanyi, whom he had been friends with since 1920. Marton developed his own reputation in street photography in the 1940s and 1950s. Brassaï continued to earn a living with commercial work, also taking photographs for the U.S. magazine Harper's Bazaar.[6]

He was a founding member of the Rapho agency, created in Paris by Charles Rado in 1933.

Brassaï's photographs brought him international fame. In 1948, he had a one-man show at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, which travelled to George Eastman House in Rochester, New York; and the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois.[7] MoMA exhibited more of Brassai's works in 1953, 1956, and 1968.[8] He was presented at the Rencontres d'Arles festival in France in 1970 (screening at the Théâtre Antique, Brassaï by Jean-Marie Drot), in 1972 (screening Brassaï si, Vominino by René Burri), and in 1974 (as guest of honour).

In 1979 Brassaï was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.[9]

Marriage

In 1948, Brassaï married Gilberte Boyer, a French woman. She worked with him in supporting his photography. In 1949, he became a naturalized French citizen after years of being stateless.[10]

Death

Brassaï died on 8 July 1984 at his home on the French Riviera near Nice. He was 84 years old.[11]


Publications by Brassaï

  • Paris de Nuit = Paris by Night. Paris: Arts et Métiers Graphiques, 1933. With text by Paul Morand.
    • Paris la Nuit. Paris: Flammarion, 2001. ISBN 978-2080106025. With a preface by Morand.
  • Conversations avec Picasso. Paris: Gallimard, 1964; 1997. A memoir.[12]
  • Henry Miller: The Paris Years. Arcade Publishing, 1975.
  • The Secret Paris of the 30s. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1976. ISBN 0-500-27108-9.
  • Letters to My Parents. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago, 1997.

Collections

Brassaï's work is held in the following public collections:

References

  1. ^ Brassaï. "in: Le club français de la médaille". In memoriam (in French). Vol. Deuxième Semestre 1984. Paris: L'administration des monnaies et médailles. p. 101.
  2. ^ "Brassaï" in Horst Woldemar Janson, Anthony F. Janson, History of Art: The Western Tradition. Prentice Hall Professional, 2004. ISBN 978-0-13-019732-0
  3. ^ Brassai, Letters to My Parents, 1997, p. 8
  4. ^ a b Brassai, Letters to My Parents, University of Chicago Press, 1995, p. 241. Accessed 6 September 2010
  5. ^ The Durrell-Miller Letters, 1935–80, Ed. Ian S. Macniven, Faber & Faber, 1988
  6. ^ a b Alain Sayag, ed., Brassai: The Monograph, Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 2000.
  7. ^ "Brassai Biography" 12 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Photo-Seminars. Retrieved 2 September 2010
  8. ^ Brassai, Letters to My Parents, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1997, p. xviii. Retrieved 2 September 2010
  9. ^ "Brassaï (Gyula Halász)". International Photography Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Brassai", Prodan Romanian Cultural Foundation. Retrieved 2 September 2010
  11. ^ Grundberg, Andy. "Brassai, Photographer of Paris Nigtlife, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  12. ^ Riding, Alan (30 September 2006). "Brassaï – Photography – Auction – Report". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  13. ^ Brassaï, Art Institute of Chicago, https://www.artic.edu/collection?q=%22Brassai%22%20
  14. ^ "Brassaï (Gyula Halász)". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Search – Rijksmuseum". Rijksmuseum. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  16. ^ Tate. "Brassaï 1899–1984". Tate Etc. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  17. ^ "Your Search Results". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 7 June 2018.

Bibliography

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brassaï.
  • "Brassaï" at Masters of Photography
  • Brassai: The Transylvanian Parisian at I Photo Central
  • Brassai's Cats

January 31, 2023
brassaï, french, bʁa, pseudonym, gyula, halász, september, 1899, july, 1984, hungarian, french, photographer, sculptor, medalist, writer, filmmaker, rose, international, fame, france, 20th, century, numerous, hungarian, artists, flourished, paris, beginning, b. Brassai French bʁa saj pseudonym of Gyula Halasz 9 September 1899 8 July 1984 was a Hungarian French photographer sculptor medalist 1 writer and filmmaker who rose to international fame in France in the 20th century He was one of the numerous Hungarian artists who flourished in Paris beginning between the world wars Brassai Gyula Halasz Self portraitBornGyula Halasz 1899 09 09 9 September 1899Brasso Kingdom of Hungary Transylvania now Brașov Romania Died8 July 1984 1984 07 08 aged 84 Beaulieu sur Mer FranceNationalityHungarian FrenchAlma materHungarian Academy of Fine ArtsOccupation s Photographer writer sculptor and painterSpouseGilberte Mercedes BoyerIn the early 21st century the discovery of more than 200 letters and hundreds of drawings and other items from the period 1940 to 1984 has provided scholars with material for understanding his later life and career Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Marriage 4 Death 5 Publications by Brassai 6 Collections 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External linksEarly life and education EditGyula Julius Halasz Brassai pseudonym was born on 9 September 1899 in Brasso Kingdom of Hungary today Brașov Romania to an Armenian mother and a Hungarian father He grew up speaking Hungarian and Romanian When he was three his family lived in Paris for a year while his father a professor of French literature taught at the Sorbonne As a young man Halasz studied painting and sculpture at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts Magyar Kepzomuveszeti Egyetem in Budapest He joined a cavalry regiment of the Austro Hungarian army where he served until the end of the First World War He cited Henri de Toulouse Lautrec as an artistic influence 2 Career EditFollowing WWI his hometown of Brasso and the rest of Transylvania was transferred from the Kingdom of Hungary to Romania at the Treaty of Trianon Halasz left for Berlin in 1920 where he worked as a journalist for the Hungarian papers Keleti and Napkelet 3 He started studies at the Berlin Charlottenburg Academy of Fine Arts Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste now Universitat der Kunste Berlin There he became friends with several older Hungarian artists and writers including the painters Lajos Tihanyi and Bertalan Por and the writer Gyorgy Boloni each of whom later moved to Paris and became part of the Hungarian circle 4 In 1924 Halasz moved to Paris to live where he would stay for the rest of his life He began teaching himself the French language by reading the works of Marcel Proust Living among the gathering of young artists in the Montparnasse quarter he took a job as a journalist He soon became friends with the American writer Henry Miller and the French writers Leon Paul Fargue and Jacques Prevert In the late 1920s he lived in the same hotel as Tihanyi 4 Miller later played down Brassai s claims of friendship In 1976 he wrote of Brassai Fred Perles and I used to steer shy of him he bored us Miller added that the biography Brassai had written of him was typically padded full of factual errors full of suppositions rumors documents he filched which are largely false or give a false impression 5 Halasz s job and his love of the city whose streets he often wandered late at night led to photography He first used it to supplement some of his articles for more money but rapidly explored the city through this medium in which he was tutored by his fellow Hungarian Andre Kertesz He later wrote that he used photography to capture the beauty of streets and gardens in the rain and fog and to capture Paris by night 6 Using the name of his birthplace Halasz went by the pseudonym Brassai which means from Brasso Brassai captured the essence of the city in his photographs published as his first collection in the 1933 book entitled Paris de nuit Paris by Night His book gained great success resulting in being called the eye of Paris in an essay by Henry Miller In addition to photos of the seedier side of Paris Brassai portrayed scenes from the life of the city s high society its intellectuals its ballet and the grand operas He had been befriended by a French family who gave him access to the upper classes Brassai photographed many of his artist friends including Salvador Dali Pablo Picasso Henri Matisse Alberto Giacometti and several of the prominent writers of his time such as Jean Genet and Henri Michaux Young Hungarian artists continued to arrive in Paris through the 1930s and the Hungarian circle absorbed most of them Kertesz immigrated to New York City in 1936 Brassai befriended many of the new arrivals including Ervin Marton a nephew of Tihanyi whom he had been friends with since 1920 Marton developed his own reputation in street photography in the 1940s and 1950s Brassai continued to earn a living with commercial work also taking photographs for the U S magazine Harper s Bazaar 6 He was a founding member of the Rapho agency created in Paris by Charles Rado in 1933 Brassai s photographs brought him international fame In 1948 he had a one man show at the Museum of Modern Art MoMA in New York City which travelled to George Eastman House in Rochester New York and the Art Institute of Chicago Illinois 7 MoMA exhibited more of Brassai s works in 1953 1956 and 1968 8 He was presented at the Rencontres d Arles festival in France in 1970 screening at the Theatre Antique Brassai by Jean Marie Drot in 1972 screening Brassai si Vominino by Rene Burri and in 1974 as guest of honour In 1979 Brassai was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum 9 Marriage EditIn 1948 Brassai married Gilberte Boyer a French woman She worked with him in supporting his photography In 1949 he became a naturalized French citizen after years of being stateless 10 Death EditBrassai died on 8 July 1984 at his home on the French Riviera near Nice He was 84 years old 11 Publications by Brassai EditParis de Nuit Paris by Night Paris Arts et Metiers Graphiques 1933 With text by Paul Morand Paris la Nuit Paris Flammarion 2001 ISBN 978 2080106025 With a preface by Morand Conversations avec Picasso Paris Gallimard 1964 1997 A memoir 12 Conversations with Picasso Chicago IL University of Chicago 1999 ISBN 0 226 07148 0 Translated by Jane Marie Todd Henry Miller The Paris Years Arcade Publishing 1975 The Secret Paris of the 30s New York Thames amp Hudson 1976 ISBN 0 500 27108 9 Letters to My Parents Chicago IL University of Chicago 1997 Collections EditBrassai s work is held in the following public collections Art Institute of Chicago Chicago IL 47 prints as of June 2020 13 Museum of Modern Art New York City 112 prints as of June 2018 14 Rijksmuseum Amsterdam 9 prints as of November 2018 15 Tate London 30 prints as of June 2018 16 Victoria and Albert Museum London 383 items as of June 2018 17 References Edit Brassai in Le club francais de la medaille In memoriam in French Vol Deuxieme Semestre 1984 Paris L administration des monnaies et medailles p 101 Brassai in Horst Woldemar Janson Anthony F Janson History of Art The Western Tradition Prentice Hall Professional 2004 ISBN 978 0 13 019732 0 Brassai Letters to My Parents 1997 p 8 a b Brassai Letters to My Parents University of Chicago Press 1995 p 241 Accessed 6 September 2010 The Durrell Miller Letters 1935 80 Ed Ian S Macniven Faber amp Faber 1988 a b Alain Sayag ed Brassai The Monograph Boston Little Brown and Co 2000 Brassai Biography Archived 12 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Photo Seminars Retrieved 2 September 2010 Brassai Letters to My Parents Chicago IL University of Chicago Press 1997 p xviii Retrieved 2 September 2010 Brassai Gyula Halasz International Photography Hall of Fame Retrieved 23 July 2022 Brassai Prodan Romanian Cultural Foundation Retrieved 2 September 2010 Grundberg Andy Brassai Photographer of Paris Nigtlife Dies The New York Times Retrieved 7 June 2018 Riding Alan 30 September 2006 Brassai Photography Auction Report The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 7 June 2018 Brassai Art Institute of Chicago https www artic edu collection q 22Brassai 22 20 Brassai Gyula Halasz Museum of Modern Art Retrieved 7 June 2018 Search Rijksmuseum Rijksmuseum Retrieved 18 November 2018 Tate Brassai 1899 1984 Tate Etc Retrieved 7 June 2018 Your Search Results Victoria and Albert Museum Retrieved 7 June 2018 Bibliography EditTucker Anne Wilkes with Richard Howard and Avis Berman Brassai The Eye of Paris Houston TX Houston Museum of Fine Arts 1997 ISBN 0 8109 6380 9 Marja Warehime Brassai Images of Culture and the Surrealist Observer LSU Press 1998 ISBN 0 8071 2276 9External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brassai Brassai at Masters of Photography Brassai The Transylvanian Parisian at I Photo Central Brassai s Cats Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Brassai amp oldid 1133892912, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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