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Couple d'hommes au bal 'Magic-City'

Photograph
1932 (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.

Some of Brassaï’s most iconic images depict the scandalous nightlife in bars and brothels, exposing the city’s debaucherous underbelly. Scenes of prostitution, sexual interactions and nudity are not uncommon and present an almost practical view of the working women. Brassaï also frequented dance halls, depicting performers, ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ community. Overall, the indiscriminate scope of Brassaï’s photographs present this previously unseen side of Paris alongside more traditional subject matter such as society functions and opera dancers. His ability to document a complete cross section of society provides an authentic glimpse into Parisian life in the 1930s.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCouple d'hommes au bal 'Magic-City' (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin silver print
Brief description
Photograph by Brassaï, 'Couple d'hommes au bal "Magic-City", rue Cognacq-Jay' [Male couple at the Magic City dance hall, rue Cognac-Jay], Paris, 1932
Physical description
Black and white photograph of two men dancing. One man is dressed in ladies' late 19th/early 20th century dress, with a satin gown, long gloves, a neck ruff, a hat and a veil. The other man is dressed in a mens' suit with a white pocket square.
Dimensions
  • Object height: 292mm
  • Object width: 227mm
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
Verso: Top left, pencil: '22.5x29' Top, pencil: 'pas dans le Paris Secret 30' Top right, pencil: 'Pl. 440' Centre, red ink: 'PP.440' Centre, stamped in blue ink: 'BRASSAÏ / 81, Rue du Faub.-St-Jacques / PARIS-XIVe - PORt-Royal 23-41' Bottom right, stamped in purple ink: '© COPYRIGHT by / BRASSAÏ / 81, Faubourg St-Jacques / PARIS 14eme Tél. 707.23.41' Bottom right, stamped in black ink': 'SUCCESSION / BRASSAÏ / ESTATE'
Translation
Not in the 'Paris Secret 30' [pas dans le Paris Secret 30]
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
Place 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.

Some of Brassaï’s most iconic images depict the scandalous nightlife in bars and brothels, exposing the city’s debaucherous underbelly. Scenes of prostitution, sexual interactions and nudity are not uncommon and present an almost practical view of the working women. Brassaï also frequented dance halls, depicting performers, ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ community. Overall, the indiscriminate scope of Brassaï’s photographs present this previously unseen side of Paris alongside more traditional subject matter such as society functions and opera dancers. His ability to document a complete cross section of society provides an authentic glimpse into Parisian life in the 1930s.
Collection
Accession number
E.923-2014

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Record createdApril 15, 2015
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