| 27/12/2006 | Photography | Turkey |
|
Double of Life
|
| Posted by Hamit Yıldırım | |
  İstanbul Modern is proud to host the exhibition, "Double of Life", featuring works spanning the life of the Hungarian photographer André Kertész (1894-1985). Recognized as a pioneer of photojournalism, for his experimental work developed with artists of Dada sensabilities, and for his experimentation with small-format cameras, Kertesz was one of the most prolific and diverse photographers of the twentieth century. He acquired his first camera in 1912 while working as a stock broker in Budapest. While he began by photographing family and acquaintances, he soon recognized the power of the camera for capturing the spirit of the people and places surrounding him: villagers and gypsies; urban streets and lush Hungarian valleys. As a soldier for the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I, he documented the everyday life of his fellows until he was wounded in battle. After gaining recognition for his deeply evocative portraits, scenes, and photo-essays in his native country, he moved to Paris in 1925. There, he became acquainted with members of the Dada movement, one of whom dubbed him "Brother Seeing Eye"; an allusion to a medieval monastery where all the monks were blind except one. During this period, he not only executed his distortions series, he also executed portraits of many of the most important artists of his era, including the painters Mondrian and Chagall, the writer Colette, and the film-maker Sergei Eisenstein. In response to growing troubles in Europe, he and his wife Elizabeth moved to New York in 1936. Until 1949, he took on free-lance work for popular and fashion magazines, including American Magazine, Collier's, Harper's Bazaar, House & Garden, Town and Country, Look and Vogue. While they had not intended to stay, the aftermath of the war and the 1956 revolution in Hungary made New York their permanent home. With the development and marketing of instant photographic technology in 1972, he became one of the first photographers to experiment with the poloroid camera. While his work had fallen out of favor with critics during the 1950s and 1960s, by the 1970s he was recognized as one of the elder statesmen of photography, with work shown in galleries throughout the world. İstanbul Modern is proud to host a wide selection of works from throughout Kertesz’s career, bringing together some of his best known photographs with less known works which provide an introduction to the rich range of his unique vision. ________________________ Meclis-i Mebusan Ave. Liman İşletmeleri Sahası Antrepo No:4 Karaköy - ISTANBUL info@istanbulmodern.org www.istanbulmodern.org |