About This Artwork
Brassaï (Gyula Halász)
French, born Transylvania, 1899–1984
Two Apaches in Parisc. 1932
Gelatin silver print
49.2 x 40.4 cm
Peabody Fund, 1955.23
Photography
Not on Display
A Hungarian transplant in Paris, Brassai supported himself with work for the picture magazines of the French capital. His celebrated images of the city after dark, published in 1932 as Paris de nuit (Paris by Night), changed both the way people saw Paris and the way other photographers took pictures. Inspired by his late-night wanderings, the book shows gardens and bridges, lovers and prostitutes, the lights of bars and the backstage areas of dance halls. Although this image of two thugs from Big Albert’s gang was not included in the book, it is typical of that work, with strong contrasts of dark and light and a voyeuristic aura of menace. The black area, which reads as a wall, is actually the edge of the photograph’s frame; Brassai printed half of the image, leaving a panel of black, as if in anticipation of its dramatic impact on the page.
Exhibition, Publication and Ownership Histories
Exhibition History
AIC, "Crossing the Line: Photography Reconsidered," January 29 - June 4, 2000, (David Travis).
AIC, "Hot Streaks," February 21–May 2, 2004. (David Travis)
AIC, “Paris: Photographs from a Time that Was,” August 13–November 6, 2005. (David Travis)
AIC, "Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Art and Photography of Paris," September 20, 2008–January 4, 2009. (David Travis)
AIC, "Photography on Display: Modern Treasures," May 9–September 13, 2009.
Publication History
Brassaï. 1976. “The Secret Paris of the 30’s.” Translated by Richard Miller. Thames & Hudson. n.p.(other print of this image)
Sayag, Alain and Annick Lionel-Marie, ed. “Brassaï: No Ordinary Eyes.” Exh. cat. Hawyard Gallery/Thames & Hudson and Bulfinch Press/Little Brown and Company. p.66. (other print of this image)
Szarkowski, John. 1968. "Brassaï: The Museum of Modern Art, New York." Museum of Modern Art/New York Graphic Society. p. 26. (other print of this image)
Travis, David. 2005. "Paris: Photographs from a Time that Was." Exh. cat. Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press. p. 70.