Brassaï: For the Love of Paris

February 6, 2014 | Zoltan Arva-Toth | Books | Comment |

The book Brassaï: For the Love of Paris explores the renowned Hungarian photographer’s profound devotion to all aspects of his favorite city, and how in return, his work has served to shape Parisian identity. "Celebrating the enduring romance of the city with images of elegant window-shoppers on the rue de Rivoli, coal workers along the banks of the Seine, and the pure majesty of Parisian monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, this book will be a welcome addition to any Francophile’s library," the publisher says. The 256-page volume will be available from April for $50.

Rizzoli Press Release

BRASSAÏ
For the Love of Paris
Photographs by Brassaï
Text by Agnès de Gouvion Saint-Cyr


Flammarion / April 2014 / $50.00 US
ISBN: 978-2-08-020168-3 / Hardcover with jacket
256 pages / 250 color & b/w illustrations / 9 ½″ x 11″


Hungarian-born photographer Brassaï dedicated more than fifty years to capturing all facets of his adopted city. From winsome children playing in public gardens to an amorous couple on an amusement park attraction, from opera and ballet stars to prostitutes and vagrants, and from cobblestone alleyways to ephemeral graffiti, his photographs embody the very essence of his greatest muse: Paris. Combining the images of one of the most revered photographers in the world, with the beauty of one of the most photogenic cities, BRASSAÏ: FOR THE LOVE OF PARIS provides a view into the art of Brassaï that is as accessible to those with a broad knowledge of his work as it is to those who are encountering it for the first time.

BRASSAÏ: FOR THE LOVE OF PARIS illuminates the City of Light through the avant-garde art community of Pablo Picasso and Marcel Proust, while highlighting Les Années folles or“Roaring Twenties.” Celebrating the enduring romance of the city with images of elegant window-shoppers on the rue de Rivoli, coal workers along the banks of the Seine, and the pure majesty of Parisian monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, this book will be a welcome addition to any Francophile’s library.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Brassaï (1899-1984) is one of the great figures of twentieth century photography. Born in Brasso, Hungary, he studied at the academies of Budapest and Berlin before moving to Paris in 1924. Initially interested in painting, he turned to photography in the early thirties at the suggestion of fellow Hungarian André Kertész. He published his first book,

Paris by Night, in 1933, which gained him recognition as a peerless chronicler of the city. Brassaï's artistic career, spanning fifty years, also included experiments with sculpture, writing, and film. Agnès de Gouvion Saint-Cyr is the former Inspector-General for photography for the French Ministry of Culture and a leading authority on the art of photography.

BRASSAÏ: FOR THE LOVE OF PARIS

By Brassaï and Agnès de Gouvion Saint-Cyr Flammarion, distributed by Rizzoli New York via Random House Hardcover with jacket / 256 pages / 250 color & b/w illustrations / 9 ½″ x 11″ ISBN: 978-2-08-020168-3 PUBLICATION DATE: April 2014 PRICE: $50.00 US & CAN www.rizzoliusa.com
 

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