Andre Kertesz (American, born in Austria-Hungary), 1894-1984). "Martinique" gelatin silver print, 1972. Exhibited in "Andre Kertesz A Diary With Light Photographs of Hungary, France and America 1912-1984" at the Ernesto Mayans Gallery in Santa Fe (August 23 - September 12, 1985). Andre Kertesz once stated, "I write with light." This classic black and white gelatin silver print certainly lives up to these words and demonstrates Kertesz's impressive command of his medium, presenting a mysterious image that features a figure behind textured glass that is not entirely transparent, thus offering an intriguing silhouette of the figure in profile who leans against a handrail that becomes quite clear on the right side of the composition. Beyond is a tranquil yet sublime expansive view of either the Caribbean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean under the majestic sky. A special piece by Kertesz set in a custom frame with a copy of the exhibition brochure set in the pocket on the gallery paper on the verso. Size of gelatin silver print: 7.25" L x 9.5" W (18.4 cm x 24.1 cm) Size of frame: 14.8" L x 18.875" W (37.6 cm x 47.9 cm)
Dr. Lisa Hostetler's biography of Andre Kertesz on the International Center of Photography's website reads as follows: "Andre Kertesz was born in Budapest in 1894 and studied at the Academy of Commerce until he bought his first camera in 1912. He served in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I, and in 1925 had one of his photographs published on the cover of Erdekes Ujsay. That same year, he moved to Paris, where he did freelance work for many European publications, including Vu, Le Matin, Frankfurter Illustrierte, Die Photographie, La Nazione Firenze, and The Times of London. He bought his first 35-millimeter camera, a Leica, in 1928, and his innovative work with it on the streets of Paris was extremely influential. In 1936, he came to the United States, and began freelancing for Collier's, Harper's Bazaar, and House & Garden, among other mass-circulation magazines. Eventually, and until 1962, he worked under contract to Conde Nast. Between 1963 and his death, his independently produced photographs became more widely accessible, and Kertesz became one of the most respected photographers in America. His work was the subject of many publications and exhibitions, including solo exhibitions at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris and at the Museum of Modern Art, and a major retrospective, Of Paris and New York, at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among his many honors and awards were a Guggenheim Fellowship and admission to the French Legion of Honor. Kertesz's work had widespread and diverse effects on many photographers, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, and Brassai, who counted him as a mentor during the late 1920s and early 1930s. His personal work in the 1960s and 1970s inspired countless other contemporary photographers. Kertesz combined a photojournalistic interest in movement and gesture with a formalist concern for abstract shapes; hence his work has historical significance in all areas of postwar photography."
Exhibited and purchased at "Andre Kertesz A Diary With Light Photographs of Hungary, France and America 1912-1984" at the Ernesto Mayans Gallery in Santa Fe (August 23 - September 12, 1985). One may also find Kertesz' "Martinique" in respected permanent collections such as the Art Institute Chicago (accession number 1976.195).
Provenance: ex-William and Jane Frazer, Aspen, Colorado, USA, acquired 1980s; exhibited and purchased at "Andre Kertesz A Diary With Light Photographs of Hungary, France and America 1912-1984" at the Ernesto Mayans Gallery in Santa Fe (August 23 - September 12, 1985)
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#166622
Condition
Photograph has not been examined outside the frame but appears to be in excellent condition. On the verso is a pocket made out of the gallery paper that holds a brochure for the exhibition that showed this work, "Andre Kertesz A Diary With Light Photographs of Hungary, France and America 1912-1984" at the Ernesto Mayans Gallery in Santa Fe (August 23 - September 12, 1985).