Review: Master Photographers: André Kertész , BBC, 1983

Andre Kertesz Martinique 1972

I never heard of Kertesz before opening this episode of Master Photographers.  He doesn't seem to be covered in the surveys I have read.  And what a shame.  Such delightful photos.

Like other photographers in this series, Kertesz was a European Jew who took refuge from the mid-century German pogroms in the United States.   Unlike the others, though, he found himself isolated from the professional photographic community.  According to the film, his work was believed to be too sentimental.  It appears also Kertesz had a streak of stubbornness.  He says of himself and his work that anything he does, he does first for himself.  This kind of attitude got him in trouble with Life magazine, which refused to publish photos he thought were interesting but which the magazine had not requested.  In addition, he had difficulty with English, which is evident in the film and have may exacerbated feelings of isolation.  During WWII he was designated by the government as an enemy alien because of his Hungarian background.  He longed to return to France, where he had been a part of the city’s art scene, but travel was impossible. It seems he did not like his life in the US, even though he later became a naturalized citizen and remained in New York.


He said he found Americans obsessed with technical perfection, able to make the perfect photo, but completely unable to to use the tools of photography expressively.   There is a point in the film [24:00] where he is asked Do you think a photographer reveals the real face of things?   His answer is not entirely intelligible, but the drift is clear:

Yes, if you projecting the way you feel [...?...].  Otherwise [...?...] only document.  This is what Life magazine want.  

Kertesz was entirely self-taught and says that for him the camera is like a sketch-book.  As such his was filled with many mistakes and is this way he learned what and how to photograph.  He was curious about everything and often found subjects very close to hand.  One of his last projects was a series of Polaroids of a glass statue shot within the confines of his NY apartment.  He says subjects typically find him, and that he usually knows when he starts shooting how the image will turn out.  He notes that he is a patient man, but I wonder if his curiosity is limited to the subject and not also the outcome?  I find my experience is more like that of someone I can’t remember now, who said he took photos to see what the subjects looked like as photos.

Anyone searching for an online collection of Kertesz may like to have a look here:  http://photography-now.net/andre_kertesz/index.html

Kertesz Defense d'Afficher, Paris (Post No Bills)

Kertesz  Chez Mondrian, Paris

Chairs, Champs Elysées, Paris, 1927 Photo André Kertész