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Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
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America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
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Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Open 10:00–5:00

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Jeno Kertész as Icarus

June 1919

André Kertész

Associated Names

André Kertész

Artist, American, born Hungary, 1894 - 1985

This is a photograph of a figure suspended in mid-air over a natural landscape. The figure appears to be leaping or jumping against a backdrop of open sky with a few scattered clouds. Beneath the figure, there is a textured landscape characterized by mounds of earth, vegetation, and distant trees lining the horizon. The black and white photography emphasizes the contrast between the dark silhouette of the figure and the lighter tones of the sky. The overall composition conveys a sense of freedom and movement, capturing the brief moment of flight.

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Artwork overview

Medium

gelatin silver print
Credit Line

Gift of The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation
Dimensions

image: 3.8 x 5.1 cm (1 1/2 x 2 in.)
sheet: 3.9 x 5.3 cm (1 9/16 x 2 1/16 in.)
Accession Number

1999.122.8

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, New York, NY; gift to NGA, 1999.

Associated Names

Estate of André Kertesz

Exhibition History

2005

André Kertész, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; International Center of Photography, New York, 2005, no. 18.

2010

André Kertész, Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris; Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur; Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Hungarian National Museum, Budapest, 2010 - 2011, unnumbered catalogue.

Bibliography

1984

André Kertész: Magyarországon. Budapest, 1984: no. 16 (cropped).

1987

André Kertész: Diary of Light, 1912-1985. Rochester, New York, 1986: pl. 29 (cropped).

1994

Borhan, Pierre. André Kertész: His Life and Work. Boston and New York, 1994: 38 (cropped).

2010

André Kertész. Exh. cat., Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris; Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur; Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Hungarian National Museum, Budapest. Paris: Editions Hazan; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.

Wikidata ID

Q64074105

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