Brassai

Brassai

Born in Hungary, yet essentially French, Brassai is renowned for his photographic chronicles of the night. As a poor immigrant artist in Paris, he survived as a newspaper reporter, occasionally illustrating articles with his photographs. In 1930 he began photographing Paris at night with an insatiable eye, surveying the high and low life of this illustrious, mysterious city.

Brassai's photographs from this period depict his profound understanding of Parisian architecture and culture. Through his lens, pattern and perspective are reversed, imagery is transformed and we are obliged to reverse our visual perception. The magic of Brassai's nocturnal ramblings were published by Charles Peignot in 1932 as a book, Paris by Night.

On the 150th anniversary of photography, Brassai's work was celebrated by museum exhibits worldwide.

(c)1995 Graphique de France