57
●
KERTÉSZ, ANDRÉ (1894-1985)
“Distortion 172.” Silver print, the image measuring 8
7
/
8
x6
3
/
4
inches (22.5x17.1 cm.), sheet size
9
1
/
8
x6
7
/
8
inches (23.2x17.5 cm.), with the title, in pencil, in an unknown hand, on verso. 1933
[10,000/15,000]
A print that originally appeared in maquette form. Kertész’s nude distortions, which were initiated in
1933, pay homage to the surrealist sensibility championed by André Breton.The series of images were
originally inspired in 1930, when Kertész and Carlo Rim, the newly-appointed editor ofVu magazine,
visited Luna Park.There they made portraits in the fun-fair’s distorting mirrors.
Subsequently, Kertész purchased an antique mirror from the Marché aux Puces (flea market), in Paris.
He then selected two models, the first a dance-hall performer with a full figure and the second, a younger
woman with a thin, modern appearance (who was reportedly from a wealthy family). As the idea of
using a mirror took shape, Kertész recognized how representing a distorted nude figure resulted in a
new visual vocabulary.The overall effect varied considerably, in some instances areas of the body were
grossly enlarged while in others they were rendered realistically. It is this incongruity in the picture frame
that make Kertész’s Distortions so compelling.
According to scholars familiar with Kertesz’s methodology, he printed his own photographs in the 1930s.
The size of this print is consistent with other early prints included in: Phillips,Travis, and Naef,André
Kertész of Paris and NewYork, Art Institute of Chicago,The Metropolitan Museum of Art,Thames
and Hudson, London, 1985, cat. nos. 102 (178x230 mm.), 105 (257x170 mm.), 104 (230x117
mm.), 107 (178x230 mm.), 108 (238x178 mm.), and 109 (238x166 mm).
