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Thumbnail-size images of copyrighted artworks are displayed under fair use, in accordance with guidelines recommended by the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts, published by the College Art Association in February 2015.
Avenue de l'Observatoire dans le Brouillard
Brassaï (Gyula Halasz) (French (born in Hungary), 1899–1984)
about 1934, printed 1950s
Medium/Technique
Photograph, gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Sheet: 29.2 x 38.4 cm (11 1/2 x 15 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Sophie M. Friedman Fund
Accession Number2016.325
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope, Photography
ClassificationsPhotographs
ProvenanceBy about 2010/2011, sold by Kim Young Seob Photo Gallery, Seoul, South Korea, to an American private collector; about 2010/2011, sold by this collector to Philip Rivkin, Houston; July, 2012, seized from Philip Rivkin by the United States government in a forfeiture action [see note]; February 18, 2016, consigned by the U.S. government to Christie’s, New York (sale no. 12626, Modern Visions: Exceptional Photographs), lot 146, sold to an American private collector; 2016, consigned anonymously by this collector to Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York; 2016, sold by Howard Greenberg Gallery to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 22, 2016)
NOTE: Philip Rivkin pleaded guilty for his role in a massive biodiesel fraud scheme. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, his photography collection, which was formed around 2010-2011, was bought using the proceeds of the fraud in order to launder the money. The photography collection was seized and sold publicly through Christie’s. The complaint can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-nj/legacy/2013/11/29/Green%20Diesel%20Complaint.pdf
NOTE: Philip Rivkin pleaded guilty for his role in a massive biodiesel fraud scheme. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, his photography collection, which was formed around 2010-2011, was bought using the proceeds of the fraud in order to launder the money. The photography collection was seized and sold publicly through Christie’s. The complaint can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-nj/legacy/2013/11/29/Green%20Diesel%20Complaint.pdf