Distortion #48
1933; printed (c. 1974)
Medium
gelatin silver photograph
Measurements
24.6 × 19.5 cm (image) 25.3 × 20.4 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1976
© Estate of André Kertész, courtesy of Higher Pictures, New York
Gallery location
Late 19th & early 20th Century Paintings & Decorative Arts Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
In 1933 Kertész photographed a suite of nudes for the French magazine Sourire. Using a series of curved mirrors, he photographed the fantastically distorted reflections of his models. Later reflecting on this work, Kertész said, ‘At the time I made the distorted nudes, it was great amusement, absolute fun, and we didn’t force anything. With every movement of the model, there was some interesting transformation, some fantastic design. Sometimes the forms were sculpturesque, sometimes horrible and cadaverous.’ Incorporating chance and the grotesque in his photographs, Kertész’s work is aligned with the interests of the Surrealists at this time.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in pencil on reverse u.c.: Paris 1933 / A Kertesz' (esz' underlined)
inscribed in pencil on reverse l.l.: 350-
inscribed in pencil on reverse l.c.: (...illeg.) No. 48
Accession Number
PH78-1976
Department
International Photography
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Bowness Family Foundation