From 22 October to 18 December 2011, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) will be presenting the first major exhibition on Brassaï with 84 original prints of 1930s Paris direct from the family collection, including several works that have never yet been shown to the public.

“Le diable” (The devil), 1931, Paris de Nuit

Brassaï (pseudonym of Gyula Halász, 1899 –1984) was a Hungarian artist who rose to international fame in France in the early 20th century. He was not just a photographer, but also a writer, a painter, an illustrator, a sculptor and filmmaker.

“Le poêle” (The stove), 1939, Picasso

Interestingly, Brassaï began his career as a journalist writing sports articles, which marked the start of his photography activities where he began to direct and even shoot images to help illustrate his articles and stories. His first camera was a Voigtländer.

“Le chat” (The cat), 1945, Paris de Jour

The photographer is most well known as “the eye of Paris”, prolifically capturing with his camera nocturnal Paris in the 1930s. The exhibition “Photography Brassaï” showcases images taken between 1930 and 1945 and is divided into 5 themes – ’Paris de Nuit (Paris by Night)’, ’The Secret Paris of the 30s Collection’, ’Paris de Jour (Paris by Day)’, ’Picasso in his atelier in Paris’, and ’Graffiti’.

Photography Brassaï
Date: 22 October – 18 December 2011
Time: 11am – 7pm daily. Closed on Mondays and public holidays
Venue: NAFA Galleries 1 & 2, NAFA Campus 1 (80 Bencoolen St)
Free admission
Works are not for sale
Enquiries: artgalleries@nafa.edu.sg/ (65) 6512 4000

Top image: “Portrait de Brassaï” (Self portrait of Brassaï)