Nu de dos
Photograph
c.1931-4 (photographed)
c.1931-4 (photographed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Hungarian-born photographer Brassaï is perhaps best known for photographs of Paris, in which he documented the streets, architecture, society and nightlife of the city during the inter-war years. His photographs caught the attention of André Breton and the Surrealists, which led to a ten year association with the group; although, Brassaï was careful to never call himself a Surrealist and maintained that his photographs were objective.
Over 150 of Brassaï’s photographs were published in the Surrealist journal 'Le Minotaure' – mostly female nudes that he made in the early 1930s. These nudes are characterised by the cropping of heads and limbs, with the camera frame focussing on the torso. The bodies are truncated, often distorted, as individuality is reduced in favour of exploring the corporeal. The figures become transformative, morphing into phalluses, violins and abstract compositions, and suspended in space with a dreamlike quality. Whilst Brassaï never accepted himself as a Surrealist nor referenced them when writing about his work, these photographs speak to the Surrealist concern with the line between the conscious and the subconscious, and to the theories of Freud, a psychoanalyst prominent in Surrealist theory.
Over 150 of Brassaï’s photographs were published in the Surrealist journal 'Le Minotaure' – mostly female nudes that he made in the early 1930s. These nudes are characterised by the cropping of heads and limbs, with the camera frame focussing on the torso. The bodies are truncated, often distorted, as individuality is reduced in favour of exploring the corporeal. The figures become transformative, morphing into phalluses, violins and abstract compositions, and suspended in space with a dreamlike quality. Whilst Brassaï never accepted himself as a Surrealist nor referenced them when writing about his work, these photographs speak to the Surrealist concern with the line between the conscious and the subconscious, and to the theories of Freud, a psychoanalyst prominent in Surrealist theory.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Titles |
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Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver print |
Brief description | Photograph by Brassaï, 'Nu de dos' [Nude from behind] or 'Nu 86' [Nude 86], c.1931-34, gelatin silver print |
Physical description | Black and white photograph of a seated nude woman, taken from behind. Her arms are not visible and her head is cropped so that we can only see her neck and the base of her bob haircut. |
Dimensions |
|
Styles | |
Marks and inscriptions | Verso:
Top centre, pencil: '20,5 x 28,5'
Top right, pencil: 'Nu. 86 fc 32'
Top right, pencil: 'Brassaï'
Top right, red ink: '1)'
Top right, stamped in black ink [faded]: 'SUCCESSION / BRASSAÏ / ESTATE'
Centre, black ink: 'Nu 86' |
Credit line | Bequest of Gilberte Boyer Brassaï |
Object history | This object came to the museum as part of a bequest of 99 photographs by Brassaï from his widow, Madame Gilberte Boyer. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | Hungarian-born photographer Brassaï is perhaps best known for photographs of Paris, in which he documented the streets, architecture, society and nightlife of the city during the inter-war years. His photographs caught the attention of André Breton and the Surrealists, which led to a ten year association with the group; although, Brassaï was careful to never call himself a Surrealist and maintained that his photographs were objective. Over 150 of Brassaï’s photographs were published in the Surrealist journal 'Le Minotaure' – mostly female nudes that he made in the early 1930s. These nudes are characterised by the cropping of heads and limbs, with the camera frame focussing on the torso. The bodies are truncated, often distorted, as individuality is reduced in favour of exploring the corporeal. The figures become transformative, morphing into phalluses, violins and abstract compositions, and suspended in space with a dreamlike quality. Whilst Brassaï never accepted himself as a Surrealist nor referenced them when writing about his work, these photographs speak to the Surrealist concern with the line between the conscious and the subconscious, and to the theories of Freud, a psychoanalyst prominent in Surrealist theory. |
Bibliographic reference | Brassaï, 1899-1984 (sale catalogue), Paris, France: Drouot-Montaigne, 2006, p124 |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.877-2014 |
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Record created | April 15, 2015 |
Record URL |
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