Alexander Calder, Paris
Artist/Culture
André Kertész
(American, born in Hungary, 1894–1985)
Date1929
Mediumgelatin silver print
Dimensions23 x 18.9 cm (9 1/16 x 7 7/16 in.)
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineEliza S. Paine Fund in memory of William R. and Frances T. C. Paine
Terms
Object number1970.40
Label TextIn 1926, Calder (1898–1976) moved from New York to Paris. Settling in a studio in Montparnasse, he made friends with several avant-garde artists, including Joan Miró, Jean Arp, Marcel Duchamp, and André Kertész. Calder twisted wire into witty sculptural figures, and originated the mobile, a type of kinetic sculpture with suspended components that balance themselves as they move.
A master of the hand-held Leica camera, Kertész was skilled at capturing the gestures and expressions of his subjects. However, recognition of his talent didn’t come until John Szarkowski, curator at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, exhibited his work in 1964.
ProvenanceGift of Andre Kertesz, New York, NYOn View
Not on view
