Brassaï Retrospective in Milan: 200 Vintage Prints and Unseen Works

The City of Milan, in collaboration with Estate Brassaï Succession, presents a major retrospective of photographer Brassaï (born Gyula Halász) at an undisclosed venue. Curated by Philippe Ribeyrolles, the photographer's nephew and a scholar who holds a significant collection of his works and documents, the exhibition features 200 vintage prints alongside drawings, sculptures, documents, and personal objects. Brassaï, whose pseudonym derives from his birthplace Brassó, Hungary, moved to Paris in 1902 at age three and spent his life capturing the city's urban and social fabric. His iconic night photography, published in the 1933 volume "Paris de Nuit," depicts workers, prostitutes, homeless individuals, artists, and solitary wanderers. He collaborated with the surrealist magazine Minotaure and maintained relationships with Picasso, Dalí, Matisse, and other 20th-century cultural figures including André Breton, Paul Éluard, Robert Desnos, Benjamin Péret, Man Ray, and Colette. The exhibition also highlights his lesser-known animal photography, such as the 1930-1931 work "Il riposo del gatto e i topi bianchi," and his ties to the United States through a long collaboration with Harper's Bazaar under art director Aleksej Brodovič. A catalog published by Silvana Editoriale accompanies the show. Brassaï died in 1984, two years after publishing "Les artistes de ma vie."