Brassaï (bräsī`), 1899–1984, French photographer, b. Brassó, Hungary (now Braşov, Romania), as Gyula Halász. Particularly known for his nightime photographs of Paris, he studied art in Hungary and Germany before moving (1924) to that city. There he associated with Picasso, Braque, Miró, and other seminal modern artists. Fascinated by street life, Brassaï turned to photography to depict it, capturing on film artists, prostitutes, criminals, entertainers, and others on society's margins. Published in his first book, Paris after Dark (1933, tr. 1987, repr. as Paris by Night, 2001), and in Voluptés de Paris (1935), the photos earned him a succès de scandale and an international reputation. In addition to the city's low life, he also portrayed its vital daily life and its sparkling high life. Widely exhibited, his work also appears in several books, e.g., Henry Miller: The Paris Years (1975, tr. 1995) and Artists of My Life (1982).

Bibliography

See his Letters to My Parents (1980, tr. 1997); studies by M. Warehime (1998), A. W. Tucker and R. Howard (1999), and A. Lionel-Marie, ed. (2000).

Brassaï

orig. Gyula Halász

“‘Bijoux' in Place Pigalle Bar,” by Brassaï, 1932.

(credit: Brassai—Rapho/Photo Researchers)

(born Sept. 9, 1899, Brassó, Transylvania, Austria-Hungary—died July 8, 1984, Eze, France) Hungarian-born French photographer, poet, and sculptor. His pseudonym derives from his native city. In 1924 he settled in Paris, where he became acquainted with Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dalí. He earned his living as a journalist and found it necessary to use a camera for his assignments. In the 1930s he became known for his dramatic photographs of Paris nightlife. Books of his photographs, including Paris After Dark (1933) and Pleasures of Paris (1935), brought him international fame.