Departures: Photography 1923-1990, Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, 12 September- 20 October 1991 and 5 other venues through 1993
Catalogue Essay
Through a reversal of tones, László Moholy-Nagy transforms this simple image of pigeons on the street into a dynamic new composition of space, light and motion. As with his photograms (see Lot 8), Moholy-Nagy would on occasion reverse his original image into a negative print, a process he referred to as “revaluation.” In this negative image, the shadows of the pigeons have been recast as sharply defined white shapes that punctuate the picture plane. In this image, he has used photography’s unique capabilities to revise the visual world.
circa 1925-1930 Gelatin silver print. 11 x 8 1/8 in. (27.9 x 20.6 cm) 'foto moholy-nagy' credit stamp and credited in an unidentified hand in pencil on the verso.
Estimate $70,000 - 90,000
Sold for $68,750
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The Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy of Giving Something Foundation, Part 2