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Les Trois Grâces, Musée du Louvre

Photograph
1937 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Brassaï was born in 1899 as Gyula Halász in the Transylvanian town of Brassó. He grew up in Budapest and spent the early 1920s in Berlin, training as a painter and working as a journalist. He moved to Paris in 1924, where he stayed until his death in 1984. He took up photography in Paris initially to support his written journalism, though he soon committed himself to a solely photographic practice. Brassaï is most well-known for his images of Parisian life, featuring brothels, prostitutes, city streets, architecture and high society alike. His first book, ‘Paris by Night’, was published in 1933 and established his reputation as a serious photographer.

His depictions of Paris at night present eerie streets, almost resembling a smoky ‘film-noir’ set. In their suggestions of a mysterious underworld, 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.


Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • Les Trois Grâces, Musée du Louvre (generic title)
  • Le Louvre la nuit (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin silver print mounted on thick card.
Brief description
Photograph by Brassaï, 'Les Trois Grâces, Musée du Louvre' [The Three Graces, Louvre Museum], Paris, 1937, from 'Le Louvre la nuit' [The Louvre at night]. Printed for exhibition pre-1964, gelatin silver print mounted on cardboard. Printed for exhibition pre-1964, gelatin silver print mounted on thick card
Physical description
Black and white photogrpah depicting a man with his hands behind his back, bending to read the placard below a sculpture of three nude females. The text reads 'LES TROIS GRACES'.
Dimensions
  • Image width: 28.8cm (Note: image and mount are the same size)
  • Image height: 38.9cm (Note: image and mount are the same size)
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
Verso: Top centre, black ink: '10' [encircled] Centre, black ink: 'A.724' [encircled] Centre, stamped in purple ink: 'BRASSAÏ / 81, RUE DU FAUBg St-JACQUES / PARIS XIVe / TÉLÉPH.: PORT-ROYAL 23-41' Centre, black ink: 'No. 6. Le Louvre la nuit' Centre right, stamped in purple ink: 'DOUANE / EXPOSITION / PARIS / CENTRALE' Bottom right, stamped in black ink: 'SUCCCESSION / BRASSAÏ / ESTATE'
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
Places depicted
Summary
Brassaï was born in 1899 as Gyula Halász in the Transylvanian town of Brassó. He grew up in Budapest and spent the early 1920s in Berlin, training as a painter and working as a journalist. He moved to Paris in 1924, where he stayed until his death in 1984. He took up photography in Paris initially to support his written journalism, though he soon committed himself to a solely photographic practice. Brassaï is most well-known for his images of Parisian life, featuring brothels, prostitutes, city streets, architecture and high society alike. His first book, ‘Paris by Night’, was published in 1933 and established his reputation as a serious photographer.

His depictions of Paris at night present eerie streets, almost resembling a smoky ‘film-noir’ set. In their suggestions of a mysterious underworld, 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.
Bibliographic reference
Brassaï, Camera in Paris, London: Focal Press (1949), p75
Collection
Accession number
E.902-2014

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Record createdApril 15, 2015
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