Born in 1894 in Budapest, Hungary, André Kertesz is now considered one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.
His career spanned more than seventy years, from 1912 to 1984. Kertesz is distinguished by a rich and varied body of work, imbued with his Hungarian culture and influenced by European avant-gardes, particularly those of Eastern Europe. His compositions blend poetry and intimacy, creating a unique photographic language.
Enlisted in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I, Kertesz began capturing the daily lives of soldiers, developing a particular sensitivity for poetic moments, far from heroic representations. After the war, he moved to Paris in 1925, where he immersed himself in avant-garde artistic circles. He photographed his Hungarian friends, artists’ studios, street scenes, and Parisian gardens. His first exhibition took place in 1927 at the gallery “Le Sacre du Printemps.”
Kertesz collaborated with several French and German publications and became one of the principal photographers for the magazine Vu. In 1936, he emigrated to New York, where he worked for magazines such as Vogue and House and Garden.
The recognition of his work grew from the 1960s onwards, with exhibitions at the Venice Biennale, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and the MoMA in New York. He continued to photograph Paris during his frequent returns until his death in 1985.
In 1984, Kertesz donated his negatives and archives to France, now preserved by the Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie. His works remain a valuable testament to his unique perspective on the world and his major contribution to photography.