Brassaï in America, 1957 - Hardcover

Brassai

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 2080200844 ISBN 13: 9782080200846

Publisher: Flammarion, 2011

Synopsis

A rare discovery of more than 150 previously unpublished photographs in black and white and in color, from a legendary photographer. Despite strong personal and professional ties in the US―Henry Miller, Harper’s Bazaar’s Carmel Snow, and Edward Steichen, who featured Brassaï’s work in many MoMA exhibitions―Brassaï remained reticent about travel to the United States until 1957 when Holiday magazine offered generous compensation (and artistic freedom) to photograph New York, Louisiana, and along the east coast. From the first symbolic image of this voyage―the Statue of Liberty appearing over the ship’s prow―Brassaï came under the spell of America and his photographs innately captured his new perspective. In New York, he was captivated by the graphic skyscrapers and the rhythmic to-ing and fro-ing of the crowds. Unlike his static photographs of Paris―posing prostitutes, embracing lovers, sleeping street people―here he captured sequences of movement―children playing, fashionable women parading by, or the effects of light filtering through the urban architecture. In Louisiana, he continued to photograph more languorous sequences, but here he reveled in color―the copper skin of sunbathers, the pastel tones of prom dresses, the vibrant neon of amusement park attractions. The New Orleans music halls, nightlife, women, and exotic vegetation recall scenes from 1930s Paris. This exuberant study of 1950s America offers the reader unprecedented access to Brassaï’s work including previously unpublished color photography.

About this title

Product Description:

In this brilliant collection of around 150 photographs - many seen in print for the first time - Brassaï captured not only boom time America in all the spectacular glory of its skyscraper architecture, but also the exuberant life on its streets below. Commissioned by Holiday magazine the photographs focus on New York and Louisiana and although many feature conventional daytime leisure pursuits, including visits to the beach and the shops, Brassaï's penchant for the underground meant there are also many pictures of the night life and burlesque scene. The photographs are complemented by an extensive and well-researched essay about Brassaï's complicated relationship with America. 167 pages : illustrations (some colour).

About the Author:

Agnès de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, former Inspector-General of photography for the French Ministry of Culture, is a leading authority on photography. Brassaï (1899-1984), a major twentieth-century photographer, published Paris by Night in 1933. His career, spanning fifty years, included sculpture, writing, and film. Flammarion has also published Brassaï Graffiti and Brassaï An Illustrated Biography.

About this edition

• Publisher: Flammarion
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 2080200844
• ISBN 13: 9782080200846
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 168