Brassai: The Monograph

by Brassaï (Contributor), Henry Miller, Alain Sayag

Celebrating the work of one of the great photographers of the century, this image-packed monograph includes classic portraits of Picasso, Matisse, and the Surrealists, as well as other notable personalities from Paris in the 1930s. 15,000 first printing.

Genres: Art, Photography

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 31, 2000

About the author

George Brassaï (pseudonym of Gyula Halász) (9 September 1899 — 8 July 1984) was a Hungarian photographer, sculptor, and filmmaker who rose to international fame in France in the 20th century. He was one of the numerous Hungarian artists who flourished in Paris beginning between the World Wars. In the early 21st century, the discovery of more than 200 letters and hundreds of drawings and other items from the period 1940–1984 has provided scholars with material for understanding his later life and career.

Reviews

[Prem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: Hardcover
Place read: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main Library, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I have very recently came to know about Brassaï & his photography. Paris by night series showcases the night life of Paris in a never seen before light. This book not only contains photographs but also the other artwork of the master & essays in an extensive collection. The street and the people from the photos are captured so lively it transports to a different time.

Some words from the book:

* - Of all the forces of nature there is one whose power has been recognized throughout time to be totally mysterious and totally involved with man: and that force is the night... It wears curlers studded with sparks, and where the smoke clouds have died away, men have climbed up to those gliding stars.
by Louis Aragon (Le Paysan de Paris, 1926)

* - The meaning of art is not authenticity..
But expression of authenticity.
by Brassaï

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE Monograph is the correct subtitle for this. Amazing reproductions, a few of his more succinct writings on art, a huge amount of his interwar Parisian photography, and a good selection of his postwar work, including his graffiti pictures and his "transmutations" as well as his (imo) less compelling work from the period.

[ツツ]

I personally don’t care for all those life experiences and personal accounts. I never liked reading stuff about an artist’s life in a book about their oeuvre. (I’d seek out a biography if I were ever interested.)

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool and Bohemian Brassaï at his most cool and Bohemian. Extensive analysis of Brassaï's social circle, intellectual interests, and lifestyle.

[Frank McAdam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book contains a wide selection of Brassaï's photographs and artwork, all of which are well reproduced. Of these, the most intriguing by far are the nighttime shots of Paris taken in the 1930's. Later representations of the city, shot in daylight in 1949, are not nearly so interesting. The photographs of Parisian graffiti are fascinating in themselves as ethnological studies. In addition, there are several well written essays, including a reprint of one written by Henry Miller in 1933, as well as an interview with the photographer's widow and excerpts from Brassaï's own writings. The chronology at the end of the book is a useful outline of the photographer's life; the bibliography serves as a comprehensive guide to further reading.