Photograph by Ed Pollard, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital slr-2008.

Eiffel Tower

Artist André Kertész (American, b. Hungary, 1894 - 1985)

CultureHungarian | American

Date1929, printed ca. 1939

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 9 1/16 × 11 5/8 in. (23 × 29.5 cm)
Overall, Support: 15 7/8 × 20 in. (40.3 × 50.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 17 15/16 × 22 in. (45.6 × 55.9 cm)

InscribedSigned, titled and dated in pencil on the verso

Credit LineMuseum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank and gift of Mr. Edwynn Houk, Renée & Paul Mansheim, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lane Stokes, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Robert K. Molloy, Mr. Robert McLanahan Smith, III, Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Waitzer, Mr. Calvin H. Childress, Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Martinez, Jr.

Object number2003.20

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is a vintage gelatin silver print made circa 1939 by Kertész for an exhibition. It depicts a unique vantage point of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France; the viewer looks downward, toward one corner of the tower. The shadow of the bottom arch becomes the center focus; many people, also casting shadows, walk below.

Label TextAndré Kertész American (b. Budapest, Hungary, 1884-1985) Eiffel Tower, 1929 (printed ca. 1939) Gelatin-silver print Purchase, gift of Mr. Edwynn Houk, Renée & Paul Mansheim, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lane Stokes, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Robert K. Molloy, Mr. Robert McLanahan Smith, III, Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Waitzer, Mr. Calvin H. Childress, Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Martinez, Jr., and in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank 2003.20 One of the earliest to fully avail himself of the small-format camera, André Kertész's work reflects a curiosity and passion for serendipitous moments. His earliest images lyrically epitomized everyday life in his native Hungary. After serving as a soldier in World War I, Kertész began his close affiliation with the development of surrealism. Living in Paris from 1925 to 1936, Kertész sold work to the major French, German, and English magazines with a range of photography including reportage, portraits, still lifes, and nude distortions. Although widely respected as an influence and a mentor in France, he was enticed to move to New York in 1936. His artistic recognition in the United States however, was long delayed as publishers during the 1940s and 1950s considered his images too subtle and eloquent. Today, the self-taught Kertész is recognized as a shaper of modern photography. Edited By: GLY Edited Date: 09/2004 Approved By: MHM Approval Date: 09/21/2005ProvenanceAndré Kertész, ca. 1939--; Kertész sold the print to Edwynn Houk, Chicago, Ill.; Houk sold it to a private collector; Private collector sold to Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York, NY; Chrysler Museum of Art Purchase, gift of Mr. Edwynn Houk, Renée & Paul Mansheim, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lane Stokes, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Robert K. Molloy, Mr. Robert McLanahan Smith, III, Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Waitzer, Mr. Calvin H. Childress, Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Martinez, Jr., and in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank, 2003. Exhibition History"Photography Speaks," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., Alice R. and Sol B. Frank Photo Galleries, September 4, 2004 - January 2, 2005. "Twilight Visions: Surrealism, Photography, and Paris," The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN, September 10, 2009 - January 3, 2010; International Center of Photography, New York, NY, January 29 - May 9, 2010; the Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, GA, June 10 - October 10, 2010. "Cities of Light: Photographs from the Chrysler Collection," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, February 15 - October 21, 2012.Published ReferencesJeff Harrison, _Collecting with Vision: Treasures From the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (London: D. Giles Ltd., 2007), 111, fig. 133. Theresa Lichtenstein, _Twilight Visions: Surrealism and Paris_, exh. cat., (Berkley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2009), 25.