Andre Kertesz: The Polaroids

by André Kertész, Robert Gurbo (Introduction)

After the death of his wife, André Kertész consoled himself by taking up a new camera, the Polaroid SX70. As with earlier equipment, he mastered the camera and produced a provocative body of work that both honored his wife and lifted him out of depression.

Here Kertész dips into his reserves one last time, tapping new people, ideas, and tools to generate a whole new body of work through which he transforms from a broken man into a youthful artist. Taken in his apartment just north of New York City’s Washington Square, many of these photographs were shot either from his window or in the windowsill. We see a fertile mind at work, combining personal objects into striking still lifes set against cityscape backgrounds, reflected and transformed in glass surfaces. Almost entirely unpublished work, these photographs are a testament to the genius of the photographer’s eye as manifested in the simple Polaroid.

Genres: Photography, Art, Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published November 26, 2007

About the author

André Kertész (French: [kɛʁtɛs]; 2 July 1894 – 28 September 1985), born Kertész Andor, was a Hungarian-born photographer known for his groundbreaking contributions to photographic composition and the photo essay. In the early years of his career, his then-unorthodox camera angles and style prevented his work from gaining wider recognition. Kertész never felt that he had gained the worldwide recognition he deserved. Today he is considered one of the seminal figures of photojournalism.[

Reviews

[Steven Godin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply stunning Polaroids. Made even more affecting as to the reason behind them. Like when Tarkovsky picked up a Polaroid camera for his collection Instant Light, this is another influential and groundbreaking genius at work; just one who should have gained wider recognition.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

The greatest number of photography books I own is by Andre Kertesz (1894-1980). Kertesz took many photographs of village people, soldiers and animals in his home country of Hungary before moving to Paris in 1925. There he documented not only people but buildings and public scenes. He became known for his unorthodox angles and subject matter.

Being Jewish, he left Europe with the onset of WWII and immigrated to the United States. He and his wife spent their remaining years in New York city where he photographed the buildings and city life.

When his wife died after forty years of marriage he sank into a depression but found his purpose again through a Polaroid camera that somehow became his grief therapy. Although his reputation had diminished over the years he had a final burst of creativity and success with his Polaroid works.

[Martyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning tribute by Kertész to his dead wife - ethereal and esoteric and jam-packed with minute beauty. The small and personal scale of the photographs in this book is very comforting in this massive, globalized world.

[Amanda Yamate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book.

[Peterk · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful little book. Kertész's polaroids are an intimate journey into the fond memories of his former and beloved wife Elizabeth, with the images printed at their true scale. The fact that the story of their origin and motivation is included is just great and really helps in understanding what is going on and in looking beyond the mere composition and tonality. I ordered this with Amazon and it took them several months before they could track one down and ship it to me, but it was worth the waiting, even though it came far from cheap given its size. Well recommended if you enjoy the more emotional side of photographic geometry and tonality.