This early André Kertész photograph, printed in a small format – likely on carte-postale stock – and affixed to a distinct “vellum” paper mount, is from a trove of 21 prints discovered in his studio after his death. This group of prints, made in Paris in the 1920s and mounted for exhibition, are similar in format and presentation to those shown at his first Paris exhibition at Au Sacre du Printemps gallery in 1927. Kertész prints from the 1920s, especially those mounted for exhibition, are scarce in the marketplace. Both the present lot and Lot 50 were sold in the small but historic auction of these works in 1997.

André Kertész moved from his native Hungary to Paris in 1925. He initially found company within the community of artistic Hungarian expatriates who had settled in the city. Kertész’s orbit soon expanded to include the broader artistic world. His quietly accomplished studies of Mondrian’s studio are indicative of his connections to the key artists of the day. At the same time, Kertész explored the boulevards of his adopted home with his camera, in day and night, creating a series of photographs, including that offered here, that remain among the most evocative and affecting photographs in his oeuvre.