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Odalisque

Photograph
1967 (published), (published), 1934-5 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Brassaï made these images between 1934-5, inspired by a two-year collaboration with the artist Pablo Picasso. He launched an exploration into engraving techniques, and made these works by engraving directly onto photographic glass plates. This was a departure from the style of straight photography that he had employed in his work until this point. It was not unusual, particularly in the 1930s, for Brassaï to use angles and vantage points to create an abstracted composition, but physical intervention, such as is seen in this work, was new. It evokes the ideology of European artistic movements of the time, particularly Surrealism and Cubism, which Brassaï would have been exposed to during his time with Picasso. He experimented with obscuring the original images to varying degrees, with the results ranging from the representational to the entirely abstract. A selection of the work was published in portfolio form in 1967, along with an accompanying essay. The title ‘Transmutations’ makes reference to the mutation of the body as a consequence of the intervention on the photograph.



Object details

Category
Object type
TitleOdalisque (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin silver print from etched glass plate
Brief description
Photograph by Brassaï from the portfolio 'Transmutations', published 1967. 'Odalisque', image 3 of 12, 1934-5, gelatin silver print
Physical description
White portfolio page, folded on the left edge, featuring an image on the inner right page. The image depicts a female nude, whose body has been altered through a series of markings. The image is split vertically down the centre, with the left side showing a breast, her hip jutting out, stocking-like markings and her face with an added arm reaching over her neck. The right side shows a less representational version, with a representational arm, a guitar-shaped body and no recognisable leg. The title is printed on the front page: 'III / odalisque'.
Dimensions
  • Sheet, folded width: 28.9cm
  • Sheet, folded height: 38cm
  • Sheet, open width: 57.6cm
  • Sheet, open height: 38cm
Styles
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.
Production
An odalisque was a Turkish concubine in Turkish harems, particularly the concubines in the house of the Ottoman sultan.
Summary
Brassaï made these images between 1934-5, inspired by a two-year collaboration with the artist Pablo Picasso. He launched an exploration into engraving techniques, and made these works by engraving directly onto photographic glass plates. This was a departure from the style of straight photography that he had employed in his work until this point. It was not unusual, particularly in the 1930s, for Brassaï to use angles and vantage points to create an abstracted composition, but physical intervention, such as is seen in this work, was new. It evokes the ideology of European artistic movements of the time, particularly Surrealism and Cubism, which Brassaï would have been exposed to during his time with Picasso. He experimented with obscuring the original images to varying degrees, with the results ranging from the representational to the entirely abstract. A selection of the work was published in portfolio form in 1967, along with an accompanying essay. The title ‘Transmutations’ makes reference to the mutation of the body as a consequence of the intervention on the photograph.

Bibliographic reference
Alain Sayag, Annick Lionel-Marie, Brassaï: No Ordinary Eyes, London: Thames & Hudson (2000), pp213-221
Collection
Accession number
E.933:5-2014

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Record createdApril 15, 2015
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