Past Exhibition

André Kertész

Two men are shown sitting in a field of tall grass. They are facing each other and engaged in conversation. The man on the left has short, dark, neatly groomed hair and sharp facial lines. He is wearing a dark jacket over a lighter shirt with a collar peeking out. The man on the right has short, dark, combed-back hair and is wearing a dark suit jacket with a handkerchief in the breast pocket. The background includes a birch tree with distinctive white and black bark, and leaves swaying in the breeze, suggesting a natural setting with dense foliage in the distance.
André Kertész, Self-Portrait with Jenó Kertész, 1923, gelatin silver print, Gift of The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, 1999.122.1

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    West Building, Ground Floor, Inner and Outer Tier Galleries G23, G24, G30 through G33
Two men are shown sitting in a field of tall grass. They are facing each other and engaged in conversation. The man on the left has short, dark, neatly groomed hair and sharp facial lines. He is wearing a dark jacket over a lighter shirt with a collar peeking out. The man on the right has short, dark, combed-back hair and is wearing a dark suit jacket with a handkerchief in the breast pocket. The background includes a birch tree with distinctive white and black bark, and leaves swaying in the breeze, suggesting a natural setting with dense foliage in the distance.
André Kertész, Self-Portrait with Jenó Kertész, 1923, gelatin silver print, Gift of The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, 1999.122.1

Overview: 121 photographs by André Kertész and 2 books of his images of Paris were shown in this first major U.S. retrospective of the Hungarian artist's work. Photographs spanned Kertész's career, including his years in Hungary, Paris, and New York. The works, some of which had never before been exhibited or reproduced, were drawn from the holdings of the National Gallery of Art and from other public and private collections.

Concerts on March 6 and March 13 featured music by Hungarian composers. A film program, "The Circle of André Kertész," presented historical footage, experimental short subjects, and narrative cinema made by Hungarian artists between 1914 and 1932 plus 2 later documentaries about the artist. The series was organized in association with the Hungarian Film Archives (Filmintézet), Magda Zalan, and Magyar Televísió. The exhibition was part of "Paris on the Potomac," a citywide celebration honoring the cultural ties between Washington and Paris.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Exhibition curator was Sarah Greenough, curator and head of the department of photographs.

Sponsor: The exhibition at the National Gallery was made possible through the generous support of the Trellis Fund and The Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation. Additional support for the catalogue was given by The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation.

Attendance: 57,503

Catalog: André Kertész, by Sarah Greenough, Robert Gurbo, and Sarah Kennel. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, in association with Princeton University Press, 2005.

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