André Kertész

André Kertész
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Name	André Kertész
Birth date	July 2, 1894
Birth place	Budapest, Austria-Hungary
Death date	September 28, 1985
Death place	New York City, United States

André Kertész was a renowned Hungarian-American photographer known for his contributions to the development of photography as an art form, alongside other notable photographers such as Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange. His work was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus movement and the Dada movement, and he was associated with artists like László Moholy-Nagy and Marcel Duchamp. Kertész's photographs often featured everyday scenes and objects, similar to the works of Walker Evans and Bill Brandt. He was also friends with other notable artists, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Brassaï.

● Early Life and Education

André Kertész was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, to a family of Jewish descent, and grew up in a cultural environment that included the works of Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály. He was educated at the Budapest Academy of Commerce, where he developed an interest in photography, inspired by the works of Eugène Atget and Juliet Margaret Cameron. Kertész's early photographic work was influenced by the Pictorialist movement, which emphasized the artistic qualities of photography, as seen in the works of Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen. He was also influenced by the Secessionist movement, which included artists like Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.

● Career

Kertész began his career as a photographer in Budapest, where he worked for the Hungarian Royal Opera and photographed notable figures such as Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály. In the 1920s, he moved to Paris, where he became associated with the Surrealist movement and befriended artists like André Breton and Max Ernst. Kertész's work was published in various magazines, including Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and he worked with other notable photographers, such as Cecil Beaton and Horst P. Horst. He also photographed famous subjects, including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Pablo Picasso.

● Artistic Style and Contributions

Kertész's photographic style was characterized by his use of available light and his emphasis on the everyday and the mundane, similar to the works of Diane Arbus and Garry Winogrand. He was also known for his experiments with photomontage and multiple exposure, techniques that were influenced by the works of Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy. Kertész's contributions to the development of photography as an art form were recognized by his contemporaries, including Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen, who exhibited his work at the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was also influenced by the works of Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, and was associated with the Farm Security Administration.

● Major Works and Exhibitions

Kertész's major works include his series of photographs of Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, which were published in the book Paris: Études de nu and featured notable landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. He also photographed the New York City skyline, including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, and worked with other notable photographers, such as Berenice Abbott and Margaret Bourke-White. Kertész's work was exhibited at various museums and galleries, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Centre Pompidou, and he was featured in exhibitions alongside other notable artists, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and René Magritte.

● Legacy and Impact

Kertész's legacy as a photographer has been recognized by his influence on subsequent generations of photographers, including Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson. His work has also been recognized by various awards and honors, including the Medal of the Library of Congress and the National Medal of Arts, which he received from President Jimmy Carter. Kertész's photographs are now held in the collections of various museums and institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Getty Museum, and he is considered one of the most important photographers of the 20th century, alongside other notable photographers like Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange.

● Personal Life

Kertész married Elizabeth Saly in 1914, and the couple had no children, but were friends with other notable artists, including Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. He died on September 28, 1985, in New York City, at the age of 91, and was buried in the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Brooklyn. Kertész's personal life was marked by his relationships with other artists and intellectuals, including Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, and he was a member of various cultural organizations, including the Hungarian Academy of Arts and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was also friends with other notable figures, including Albert Einstein and Thomas Mann.

Category:Photographers