A decent show.
Passing through the pothole ridden excuse for a road system that is the Bay Area the other day, and stepping carefully around all the mid-western conventioneers packing the sidewalks, I stopped by SF MOMA to catch the Brassaï photography show.
The Hungarian street snapper Brassaï was at his most prolific in the early 1930s, a period which coincides with some of the best work by his contemporary Henri Cartier-Bresson. However, whereas HC-B was more interested in surrealist design in his images, Brassaï was a street snapper par excellence and it’s hardly surprising that Paris would be his city of choice.
Back in 2011 when MOMA ran the HC-B show I remarked how poorly staged it was. MOMA has learned from its mistakes and the Brassaï show contains fewer, better spaced images even if the affectation of sourcing original, muddy prints remains. To best show the artist’s work these really should be reprinted by a competent technician.
A lousy $2 discount for old age.
Magnificent entrance to the show.
Obligatory tour guide for those incapable of forming an independent opinion.
A solid introduction to the great Hungarian.
For his night snaps a tripod was essential, given the slow lenses and emulsions of the time.
The camera is a Voigtländer Bergheil which took 6x9cm glass plates!
No denying the man’s philosophy.
Fine uncrowded presentation of the works.
For more about Brassaï’s landmark book, ‘Paris de Nuit’, click here.
All snaps on the Panny GX7 with the 12-35mm zoom at f/2.8 and ISO 1600.