Bruce Silverstein Gallery is pleased to present a selection of masterworks by André Kertész at Art Basel. The exhibition will serve as a retrospective of the artist's career, and the work on view will change during the run of the fair in order to highlight the primary facets and developments of his practice. Beginning with his early photographs in Hungary over 100 years ago, the artist's revered Paris period will follow, leading to his well-known New York images taken from his apartment
window, concluding with the artist’s final Polaroids. A special focus will be placed on Kertész's images of his wife Elizabeth - his consistent emotional and financial supporter.
We will feature the finest extant prints of his most historically significant works including: Chez Mondrian, 1926; Leger’s Studio, 1926; Fork, 1928; a suite of images from his Distortions series, 1933; and a rare vintage example of his most iconic New York image, Washington Square, 1954. This exhibition will afford visitors to Art Basel a comprehensive understanding of this well-loved artist and extend beyond the typical art fair experience.
André Kertész’s ability to construct lyrical images, infused with wit and insight would remain a constant throughout his long career. Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1894, he started his photographic career during his late teens, moving to Paris in 1925 where he established himself as a successful artist working alongside major figures such as Fernand Léger, Piet Mondrian and Constantin Brancusi. Kertész relocated to New York in 1936 to further his career, but it wasn’t until the1970s that he became once more a major figure in the fine art photography world. By the year of his death in 1985, he had been honored with numerous awards and solo exhibitions worldwide. Since 2003, Kertész’s work has been the subject of seven shows at the Bruce Silverstein Gallery and the gallery is the exclusive New York representative of the André Kertész Estate.
