Week 8: Brassai Presentation

Above: Album page (clockwise from top left) the three Halasz brothers, Hometown Brasso, Brassai in Cavalry uniform during his service in WWI, The house he grew up in and a family picture with his mother and brothers.

Paris, 1953, Chairs in the Luxenbourg Gardens in Winter. Brassai Archives, Paris. (D. E. Poirier 2005, p.200)

PARIS, 1929, Gilberte Robbe, Brassai Archives, Paris. (D. E. Poirier 2005, p.58)

Above: a boy draws graffiti on a wall from the rougher part of the Paris Streets

Brassai and his wife Gilberte

Picasso

The Surrealist painter and artist Salvidor Dali was among one of Bassai's famous friends that also included Picasso (photograph above Salvidor's) who is one of the most recognized cubist painters in the world. Brassai took both of their portraits.

Paris, 1930, Hairdressers' event, Brassai Archives, Paris.

These last couple of pictures portray the high society of the city life such as its ballet and grand operas

Paris, 18935, haute couture soiree, Brassai Archives, Paris. (D.E Poirier 2005, p.95)

I was supposed to present on Brassai (Gyula Halasz) in week 8 but got sick with the flu. So since I couldn't present in class thought I could put up some of the great pictures and info I found on him in the blog.

Brief Biography:
Born on the 9/09/1899 as Gyula Halsz in Brasso Transylvania
Died July 8th 1984 in South of France
His mother was American and father Hungarian and he had two younger brothers.
He studied painting and sculpture at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest.
Served in the Austro-Hungarian Army in the First World War.
1920 he worked as a journalist in Berlin.
1924 he moved to Paris and would stay there to become a French citizen and live out the remainder of his life.
His job often led him to wonder the streets late at night and take photographs which he used to supplement his articles for more money.
He said that he used photography 'in order to capture the beauty of the streets and gardens in the rain and fog and to capture Paris by night.
Later Gyula Halsz went by the pseudonym Brassai that means 'from Brasso'
His first collection of photos were published in 1933 in his book Paris by Night which had great success resulting in him being called 'the eye of Paris' in an essay written about him by his friend Henry Miller.

References:
D.E. Poirier 2005, Brassai an illustrated Biography, Flammarion, Adago, Paris.