Brassaï/Biography
From George Eastman House : Notes On Photographs
| Brassaï | ||
|---|---|---|
| Key Attributes : Technique · Significant Marks · Conservation · Subject Series | ||
| General Information : Biography · Provenance and Significant Collections · References and Bibliography | ||
Brassaï, pseudonym of Gyula Halász (Born Hungary 1899 – Died France 1984) 1899-1930
1899 - Gyula Halász was born in Brassó (Braşov), in south-east Transylvania, Austria-Hungary (today in Romania), to a Hungarian father and an Armenian mother. He is sometimes incorrectly described as Jewish.
1902 - Family moved to Paris, France for a year, while his father, a Professor of Literature, taught at the Sorbonne. As a young man, Gyula Halász studied painting and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, before joining a cavalry regiment of the Austro-Hungarian army, where he served until the end of the First World War.
1920 - Went to Berlin, where he worked as a journalist and studied at the Berlin-Charlottenburg Academy of Fine Arts.
1924 - Moved to Paris where he would live the rest of his life. Living amongst the huge gathering of artists in the Montparnasse Quarter, he took a job as a journalist. He soon became friends with Henry Miller, Léon-Paul Fargue, and the poet Jacques Prévert.
1930 - Started to photograph with the assistance of André Kertész. Using the name of his birthplace, Gyula Halász went by the pseudonym "Brassaï," which means "from Brasso."
1933 - Published his first book of photographs titled Paris de nuit ("Paris by Night"). His efforts met with great success, resulting in his being called "the eye of Paris" in an essay by his friend Henry Miller. In addition to photos of the seedier side of Paris, he also provided scenes from the life of the city's high society, its intellectuals, its ballet, and the grand operas. He photographed many of his great artist friends, including Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, plus many of the prominent writers of his time such as Jean Genet, Henri Michaux and others.
Brassaï's photographs brought him international fame leading to a one-man show in the United States at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, and at New York City's Museum of Modern Art.
1948 - Published the novel "Histoire de Marie", which was published with an introduction by Henry Miller.
1956 - His film, "Tant qu'il y aura des bêtes", won the "Most Original Film" award at the Cannes Film Festival.
1961 - Stopped taking photographs, and concentrated on sculpting in stone and bronze. Several tapestries were made from his designs based on his photographs of graffiti.
1974- Was made Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
1976 - Was given the Legion of Honor.
1978 - Won the first "Grand Prix National de la Photographie" in Paris.
1984 - Died on July 7, in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes, in the south of France and was interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris.