Brassai: Paris

Harlots hoodlums and heathens in Brassas Paris "Brassa is a living eye " wrote Henry Miller of the Hungarianborn artist who adopted Paris after World War I and became one of its most celebrated photographers. Originally a painter before he moved on to writing sculpture cinema and most famously photography Brassa (1899-1984) was a member of Pariss cultural elite counting Miller Picasso Sartre Camus and Cocteau among his friends. Camera in hand he scoured the streets and bars of Paris unabashedly capturing the citys inhabitants in their natural habitats. Prostitutes hoodlums and other marginal characters were the most famous heroes of Brassas moody gritty photographs taken often by night. Including an extensive selection of Brassas finest photographs and an essay describing his life and work this book explores the world of Brassa in thematic chapters: Minotaure magazine Paris at Night Secret Paris Day Visions Artists of My Life and Graffiti and Transmutations.