André Kertész: Retrospective

There has never been a proper retrospective of the work of André Kertész (Budapest, 1894 – New York, 1985) in Europe, even though he donated all his negatives to the French state. And yet he is one of the most important photographers of the 20th century, both for the richness of his body of work and for the sheer longevity of his career.

For the first time, this show will bring together a sizable ensemble of prints and original documents covering the different periods of Kertész's life and artistic career. It reveals how he developed a genuine poetics of photography—what he himself called "a real photographic language." The display highlights the autonomy of each photograph, while at the same time indicating the presence of series or recurring thèmes.

Adopting a chronological and linear exhibition layout reflecting the various periods of his creative life, punctuated by self-portraits at the entrance to each space, the curators, Michel Frizot and Annie-Laure Wanaverbecq, have created thematic groups in the form of "cells", highlighting the unique aspects of his output: his personal photography (the photographic postcards, the Distortions), his involvement in publishing (the book Paris vu par Kertész, 1934), his recurrent creative experiments (shadows, chimneys), and the more diffuse expression of emotions (solitude). The exhibition sheds light on the importance of previously neglected or unexplored periods.

Between 1912 and 1985, Kertész remained true to his approach even though his style changed, technology was evolving (the telephoto lenses of the 1960s), and circumstances were providing new vantage points (From My Window would be the title of one of his books): I have never just "made photos", he said, I express myself photographically.

Curators: Michel Frizot et Annie-Laure Wanaverbecq Exhibition organized in collaboration with the Institut Hongrois de Paris

André Kertész
Retrospective
Kuratoren: Michel Frizot, Annie-Laure Wanaverbecq
Ort: 1, Place de la Concorde
, Paris