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Clochard and Posters, Paris


On the Boulevards, Paris, 1926–29
Wall of Posters, 1926
André Kertész (American (born in Hungary), 1894–1985)
about 1930

Medium/Technique Photograph, gelatin silver print
Dimensions Image/Sheet: 23.6 x 17.9 cm (9 5/16 x 7 1/16 in.)
Credit Line Sophie M. Friedman Fund
Accession Number1981.143
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas, Photography
ClassificationsPhotographs
Andrê Kertész arrived in Paris from Hungary in 1925, hoping to find work in an established studio or with one of the new photographically illustrated magazines. When he was not on commission, Kertész took to walking the streets of Paris, in all different seasons and at all times of day, as a way to discover the distinctive poetry of the city seen through the camera lens. Recorded as if by the glance of a casual observer, this street scene contrasts the elegant curves and repeating shapes of the figures in the posters with the dark, hunched form of the homeless clochard standing on the sidewalk.


InscriptionsMat of the Julien Levy Gallery, New York (stamped on back) and $20 price in pencil on front.
Verso stamp center: REPRODUCTION RESERVÉE/EN CAS DE REPRODUCTION/LA SIGNATURE EST OBLIGATOIRE
Verso stamp center: André KERTÉSZ/ 75, Bould Montparnasse/Paris 6e
ProvenanceSimon Lowinsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA; purchased May 1981.
Copyright© Estate of André Kertész/Higher Pictures