Brassai
The Secret Signs of Paris
Anna Tellgren(Editor)
Silvana (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 22. June 2026
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-88-366-6440-5 (ISBN)
Description
Brassai is one of the most famous photographers in history. In the early 1930s, he sets out with his camera on long nocturnal walks through Paris. The depictions of people and environments that emerge when darkness descends over the city become his breakthrough. Through more than two hundred vintage photographic prints, this volume - published on the occasion of a major retrospective hosted in Stockholm - presents an in-depth and original window into Brassai's oeuvre.
Brassai (1899-1984) was born in Hungary, but France, and especially Paris, became his home. Here he begins a new era in photography with his penetrating images of the city. But Brassai travelled all over Europe - including to Italy and Spain - as well as to the United States, creating a photographic trail that bears the imprint of his curiosity and his style.
The full chronological range of his production is unveiled here, from his first shots influenced by an affinity with the Surrealist movement to his iconic images of Parisian pleasure-seekers and socialites. Particular attention is given to his images of 'graffiti', captured by Brassai during his decades-long exploration of the walls of Paris, a mark of his bond with the visual arts and artists such as Jean Dubuffet. Finally, the photographs dedicated to the female nude and to fashion, portraits of artist friends and children, and the small paradoxes and "involuntary sculptures" that reality offered to his gaze and which Brassai, a creator of images, masterfully grasped in the immediacy of the moment.
Brassai (1899-1984) was born in Hungary, but France, and especially Paris, became his home. Here he begins a new era in photography with his penetrating images of the city. But Brassai travelled all over Europe - including to Italy and Spain - as well as to the United States, creating a photographic trail that bears the imprint of his curiosity and his style.
The full chronological range of his production is unveiled here, from his first shots influenced by an affinity with the Surrealist movement to his iconic images of Parisian pleasure-seekers and socialites. Particular attention is given to his images of 'graffiti', captured by Brassai during his decades-long exploration of the walls of Paris, a mark of his bond with the visual arts and artists such as Jean Dubuffet. Finally, the photographs dedicated to the female nude and to fashion, portraits of artist friends and children, and the small paradoxes and "involuntary sculptures" that reality offered to his gaze and which Brassai, a creator of images, masterfully grasped in the immediacy of the moment.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Milan
Italy
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
165 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 279 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
495 gr
ISBN-13
978-88-366-6440-5 (9788836664405)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Anna Tellgren, PhD, is a curator of photography at Moderna Museet. She was previously a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Art History at Stockholm University.
Content
Foreword 4
Gitte Orskou
The Secret Signs of Paris 6
Anna Tellgren
Brassai - Life and Works 13
Philippe Ribeyrolles
Plates 17
Parisian Graffiti 193
Brassai
Arm in Arm with the Night 197
Nina Bouraoui
List of Works 200
Authors 207
Gitte Orskou
The Secret Signs of Paris 6
Anna Tellgren
Brassai - Life and Works 13
Philippe Ribeyrolles
Plates 17
Parisian Graffiti 193
Brassai
Arm in Arm with the Night 197
Nina Bouraoui
List of Works 200
Authors 207