Андре Кертэш: Жизнь и творчество венгерского фотографа

Hungarian photographer (1894–1985)

André Kertész (kɛʁtɛs; 2 July 1894 – 28 September 1985), born Andor Kertész, was a Hungarian born photographer known for his groundbreaking contributions to photographic composition and the photo essay. In the early years of his career, his then unorthodox camera angles and style prevented his work from gaining wider recognition. Kertész never felt that he had gained the worldwide recognition he deserved. Today he is considered one of the seminal figures of 20th century photography. Expected by his family to work as a stockbroker, Kertész pursued photography independently as an autodidact, and his early work was published primarily in magazines, a major market in those years. This continued until much later in his life, when Kertész stopped accepting commissions. He served briefly in World War I and moved to Paris in 1925, then the artistic capital of the world, against the wishes of his family. In Paris he worked for France's first illustrated magazine called VU. Involved with many young immigrant artists and the Dada movement, he achieved critical and commercial success. Due to German persecution of the Jews and the threat of World War II, Kertész decided to emigrate to the United States in 1936, where he had to rebuild his reputation through commissioned work. In the 1940s and 1950s, he stopped working for magazines and began to achieve greater international success. His career is generally divided into four periods, based on where he was working and his work was most prominently known. They are called the Hungarian period, the French period, the American period and, toward the end of his life, the International period.

Andor Kertész was born on 2 July 1894 in Budapest to the middle class Jewish family of Lipót Kertész, a bookseller, and his wife, Ernesztin Hoffmann. Andor, known as "Bandi" to his friends, was the middle child of three sons, including Imre and Jenő. When Lipót died in 1908 from tuberculosis, the widowed Ernesztin was without a source of income to support their three children. Ernesztin's brother, Lipót Hoffmann, provided for the family and acted much like a father to the boys. The family soon moved to Hoffman's country property in Szigetbecse. Kertész grew up in a leisurely pace of life and pastoral setting that would shape his later career path. Hoffman paid for his middle nephew's business classes at the Academy of Commerce until his 1912 graduation, and arranged his hiring by the stock exchange soon after.

After earning enough money, Kertész quickly bought his first camera (an ICA box camera) in 1912, and Marc Chagall, the writer Colette, the setting for some of his best photographs since having immigrated to the US. Using a telephoto lens, he took a series of snow covered Washington Square, showing numerous silhouettes and tracks. In 1955 he was insulted to have his work excluded when Edward Steichen's The Family of Man show was featured at MoMA. Despite the success of the Chicago show, Kertész did not gain another exhibit until 1962, when his photographs were shown at Long Island University. Kertész lived at 2 Fifth Avenue during the construction and inauguration of the former World Trade Center. He photographed the Twin Towers from his apartment on multiple occasions prior to his death.

Toward the end of 1961, Kertész broke his contract to Condé Nast Publishing after a minor dispute, and started doing his own work again. This later period of his life is often referred to as the "International period",

Kertész died in his sleep at home on 28 September 1985; he was cremated and his ashes were interred with those of his wife. 2002: a New York City photograph by Kertész appeared on a 37 cent U. S. postage stamp, part of a Masters of American Photography series.

Throughout most of his career Kertész was depicted as the "unknown soldier" who worked behind the scenes of photography, yet was rarely cited for his work, even up to his death in 1985. and even his reproduced work printed after his death received good reviews; "Kertész was above all a consistently fine photographer". Kertész's work itself is often described as predominantly utilising light and even Kertész himself said that "I write with light". He was never considered to "comment" on his subjects, but rather capture them – this is often cited as why his work is often overlooked; he stuck to no political agenda and offered no deeper thought to his photographs other than the simplicity of life. With his art's intimate feeling and nostalgic tone, Even other photographers cite Kertész and his photographs as being inspirational; Henri Cartier Bresson once said of him in the early 1930s, "We all owe him a great deal."

This list is compiled from Capa et al, Corkin & Lifson and Könemann et al. 1933: Enfants published in Paris by Éditions d'Histoire et d'Art. A compilation of 54 photographs dedicated to his mother and his wife Elizabeth. 1934: Paris Vu Par André Kertész published in Paris by Éditions d'Histoire et d'Art. A compilation of 48 photographs from Kertész's time in Paris. 1936: Nos Amies les Bêtes published in Paris by Éditions d'Histoire et d'Art. A compilation of 60 photographs of various animals and is dedicated to Szigetbecse, where he took his earliest photographs. 1937: Les Cathédrales du Vin published in Paris by Etablissements et Brice. A compilation of 28 photographs. 1945: Day of Paris published in New York by J. J. Augustin. A compilation of 126 photographs, again of photographs during his stay in Paris. 1964: André Kertész, Photographer published in New York by the Museum of Modern Art. A compilation of 64 photographs from his exhibition that same year at the MoMA. 1966: André Kertész published in New York by Paragraphic Books. A compilation of 76 reproduced photographs. 1968: The Concerned Photographer published in New York by Grossman Publishers following "The Concerned Photographer" exhibition. 1971: On Reading published in New York by Grossman Publishers. A small number of photographs all of various people reading. 1972: André Kertész: Sixty Years of Photography, 1912–1972 published in New York by Grossman Publishers. A compilation of 250 photographs. 1974: J'aime Paris: Photographs Since the Twenties published in New York by Grossman Publishers. A compilation of 219 photographs from his years in Paris and his later return trips there. 1975: Washington Square published in New York by Grossman Publishers. A compilation of 104 photographs of Washington Square which Kertész took using a telephoto lens. 1976: Distortions published in New York by Alfred A. Knopf. A compilation of 200 photographs featuring two naked models distorted in a funhouse mirror. These photographs were taken many years prior to the book's release. 1976: Of New York published in New York by Alfred A. Knopf. A compilation of 184 photographs taken of New York and is dedicated to Elizabeth. 1977: André Kertész published in New York by Aperture Inc. A compilation of 44 photographs as part of the History of Photography series by Aperture Inc.
1979: Americana published in New York by Mayflower Books Inc. A compilation of 64 photographs from throughout Kertész's career. The photos depict American ways of life and the book is one of four in a series. The other four books, Birds, Landscapes and Portraits, were released the same year, but Kertész thought the photograph reproductions in the books were terrible and, for the first time, refused to autograph books. 1979: Birds published in New York by Mayflower Books Inc. A compilation of 64 photographs depicting bird life from throughout Kertész's career. 1979: Landscapes published in New York by Mayflower Books Inc. A compilation of 64 photographs featuring landscapes from throughout Kertész's career. 1979: Portraits published in New York by Mayflower Books Inc. A compilation of 64 portraiture photographs from throughout Kertész's career. 1981: From My Window published in Boston by New York Graphic Society/Little Brown. A compilation of 53 colour photographs, one of the rare times Kertész used colour film. 1982: André Kertész: A Lifetime of Perception published in Canada by Prentice Hall Canada Inc.
2004: André Kertész published in Lawrenceville by Princeton University Press. 2004: André Kertész et la Savoie published in Haute Savoie by Fontaine de Siloe. 2005: André Kertész: Observations, Thoughts, Reflections published in Chicago by Stephen Daiter Gallery. 2005: The Early Years published in New York by W. W. Norton & Company. 2007: The Polaroids published in New York by W. W. Norton & Company. 2008: Photofile: André Kertész published in London by Thames & Hudson.