Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Hungarian, 1895-1946. Born as László Weisz, he changed his name owing to his German Jewish origins. His time as an artillery officer in the Austro-Hungarian army in 1915 ignited his passion for drawing. He is best known for his experimental use of photography to create unconventional works. He achieved residual impressions that combine the concepts of photography and sculpture by placing objects onto photo-sensitive paper and exposing it to light. His photogram, Photogram with Eiffel Tower, experimented with the abstract potential of a traditionally documentary medium. He also excelled as a professor in typography, painting, sculpture, design and printmaking at the Bauhaus in Germany. An invitation to Chicago at the New Bauhaus and the rise of the Nazi regime, influenced him to flee Germany in 1937.