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Portrait of Susan Harder at gallery desk by André Kertész
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André Kertész, Paris, 1927
André Kertész (1894 – 1985) is considered one of the seminal figures of 20thcentury photography. He is regarded as one of the fathers of photojournalism and street photography, but is also known for his groundbreaking contributions to photographic compositions using unorthodox camera angles, distortions, and style. By combining a seemingly artless spontaneity with a sophisticated understanding of composition, André Kertész developed and fostered a unique and intimate style of image making.
Born Kertész Andor in Budapest, he received his first camera in 1912. At the early age of 18, he began experimenting with the medium by taking portraits of family and friends, as well as studies of the Hungarian countryside and scenes of daily life behind the battle lines of World War I. Intent on becoming a serious photographer and making a living at it, he moved to Paris in 1925. He became a successful photojournalist and ingrained himself in the flourishing artist community in the city, making friends with painters, sculptures, filmmakers and photographers such as Fernand Léger, Alexander Calder, Maurice de Vlaminck, Man Ray, and Brassaï. Some of his most iconic images were created during this period of his career.
In 1936 Kertész and his wife, Elizabeth, relocated to New York. He freelanced for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Life, House & Garden among others. He felt a sense of alienation in his new surroundings. Despite his acclaim and popularity throughout Europe, André Kertész initially felt a cool reception in the United States until then-newly appointed MOMA Department of Photography head John Szarkowski offered him a solo show in 1964. The retrospective exhibition spanned the entirety of André Kertész's photography career. Throughout his later life, Kertész's work was featured in many exhibitions throughout the world. After his death in 1985, he continued to be honored and collected by major museums and galleries worldwide.
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"My English is bad. My French is bad. Photography is my only language."
- André Kertész
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The photographs in this exhibition come from the private collection of Susan Harder. Susan worked professionally with André Kertész for many years at the Light Gallery in New York City. The Light Gallery was one of the first galleries in the 1970s exhibiting and selling fine art photography. Many 20th century photographers showed their work there at the time - Kertész, Callahan, and Siskind, to name a few.
After her time at Light Gallery, Susan went on to open her own gallery under her name, located on 57th Street, where she represented and exhibited Kertész’s work among other photographers. Once she closed her gallery, she continued as his agent for many years before his death and then as agent and curator for the Kertész estate. She has worked on and authored articles and several books on Kertész, one being the beautiful Aperture book titled, André Kertész Diary of Light 1912 – 1985, printed and originally published in Japan. Susan was an influential part of Kertész’s life and career in New York at the height of his popularity, traveling with him and organizing his exhibitions for shows all over the world.
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The Orminda Corporation was Susan Harder’s company. The shell logo is a registered trademark for Orminda, Ltd and is on file at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for authentication.
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AVAILABLE WORKS
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HUNGARY
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André KertészJenő Kertész as Icarus, May 30, 1919Titled, and dated with annotations in pencil; Orminda shell stamp verso; Accompanied by a signed letter of provenanceSilver gelatin print8 x 10 inches$5,500
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PARIS
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André Kertész, Chez Mondrian, Paris (from Portfolio of Ten Prints), 1926SOLD
In the late 1970's André Kertész became aware of a renewed interest by museums and collectors in his early contact prints from 4” x 5” glass plate negatives. These early prints were first exhibited in Paris in the 1920’s and very few prints were made of each image. They were primarily printed only when needed for exhibitions, sales, or to give to friends and relatives. He had kept only a few of these contact prints for his own collection.
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André Kertész, Colette, Paris (from A Portfolio of Ten Prints), 1930$4,500
Motivated by his love of these small format early prints, their scarcity, and an increase in interest, Kertész began exploring the possibility of contact printing the glass plate negatives with his master printer, Igor Bakht. Experimenting with dozens of papers and many kinds of toners, he worked to find the best paper (which turned out to be by Illford) and the perfect toner. Toners not only emphasize the blacks, but also enhance the "archival" qualities of photographic prints. Kertész worked directly with Paul Wong at Dieu Donne Press and Paper in New York to develop the handmade paper, selecting color, texture, size, and content.
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NEW YORK
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André Kertész, From my Window, New York, c. 1983SOLD
André Kertész was invited to join the Polaroid's Artist Support Program in 1979. His inital experimentation with SX-70 film evolved into a body of work that was carefully and passionately crafted in memory of his wife of more than forty years, Elizabeth. Taken in his apartment in New York City, many of Kertész's Polaroids were shot either from his window or in the windowsill. We see a fertile mind at work, combining personal objects into striking still lifes set against cityscape backgrounds, reflected and transformed in glass surfaces. Kertész chose the Polaroid not so much for the color it offered but because it allowed him to work quickly and autonomously. The smaller scale of Polaroids harks back to Kertész's time in Budapest when he created small and delicate prints, usually no larger than 1 1/2 x 2 inches. The format also echoed his works done in 1926 when he produced rich images on carte postale paper.
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LATER WORKS
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André KertészMartinique, 1972Orminda shell stamp verso; Accompanied by a signed letter of provenanceSilver gelatin printImage: 15 1/2 x 19 9/16 inches
Paper: 16 x 20 inches$12,000
