Picasso – and the Paris of Brassaï

Detail of the plaster sculpture Woman with Leaves [Pablo Picasso, 1934] in the studio on the rue des Grands- Augustins, Paris, 1943. © Sucesión Pablo Picasso, VEGAP, Málaga, 2021

The best way to understand an artist, is to understand the societal context of the time and place in which they lived, worked and loved. A new exhibition at Museo Picasso Malaga builds on that sentiment, deepening our understanding of Picasso’s work through the lens of his contemporary, the photographer Brassaï.

Originally from Hungary, Brassaï, a pseudonym for Gyula Halász, had a background in painting and sculpture before moving to France in 1924, learning himself French by reading Proust. It was, however, the mesmerizing views of the Paris after dusk, and many late night walks, that led him into photography – playing with the contrast of light and shadow. His first book rightfully entitled Paris de Nuit.

Brassaï’s photographs invite the viewer to wander through Paris, with its river Seine, Notre Dame, its brothels and its markets. He was known to capture contemporary society in his many shots of the intellectual-, literary-, and artistic scene of 1930s and 1940s Paris, ranging from Sartre to Beckett, Matisse to Picasso.

Although they met in a professional setting, as foreigners in a big city, Brassaï and Picasso, developed a tight-knit friendship. Brassaï was fascinated by Picasso’s personality, while Picasso admired the photographer’s unbiased gaze. The mutual admiration led to Brassaï being one of the few people Picasso allowed free access to his studios, and he was the first to photograph his sculptures. In 1964 Brassaï published Conversations with Picasso, also known as one of the most important books in terms of getting to know Picasso – documenting two decades-worth of the artist’s story in context of the city in which they both lived.

Self-portrait, boulevard Saint-Jacques, Paris, 1930-1932 © Estate Brassaï Succession-Philippe Ribeyrolles

Fat Claude and her girlfriend at Le Monocle, Paris, c. 1932 © Estate Brassaï Succession-Philippe Ribeyrolles

Pablo Picasso in the studio on Rue la Boétie, in front of the portrait of Yadwigha by Henri Rousseau, Paris, 1932 © Estate Brassaï Succession-Philippe Ribeyrolles

"Au cochon Limousin", rue Lecourbe, París, 1935 © Estate Brassaï Succession-Philippe Ribeyrolles

The exhibition, THE PARIS OF BRASSAÏ. PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CITY PICASSO LOVED, is showing at Museo Picasso Malaga until April 3rd. 2022.

Words: Lene Haugerud