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Preview image of work. gelatin silver print on paper,  Distortion #24 27270

2014.6

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Distortion #24

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Artist

André Kertész (Hungary, 1894 - 1985, New York City, New York)

Title

Distortion #24

Creation Date

ca. 1933

Century

early 20th century

Dimensions

8 3/8 x 6 5/8 in. (21.27 x 16.83 cm)

Classification

Photographs

Creation Place

Eastern Europe, Hungary

Medium and Support

gelatin silver print on paper

Credit Line

Museum Purchase, Gridley W. Tarbell II Fund and Art Collections Purchase Fund

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

2014.6

In 1933 André Kertész was commissioned to create a series of nudes for a bawdy magazine. He photographed two models in various poses in front of a “fun house” mirror, cropping many images in the series so that only the distorted reflection can be seen. In Distortion #24, however, the mirror is visible, revealing the source of the deformed image. Kertész was already a successful photographer in his native Hungary when he moved to Paris in 1925, befriending the extensive community of artists there. The Distortion series testifies to his engagement with ideas circulating among the surrealists and other avant-garde groups.