André Kertész

André was a man who loved photos.

He used a camera to see the world. He took pictures of people and things.

He lived in many lands. He lived in Hungary and France. Later, he moved to America.

André liked to try new things. He took pictures of people in mirrors. The mirrors made the shapes look funny.

He also took photos of people in water. The water changed how they looked.

André worked very hard at his art. People still look at his photos today.

André Kertész was a famous photographer. He was born in Hungary in 1894. His family wanted him to work in business. But André loved art and cameras. He taught himself how to take photos.

André moved to Paris in 1925. This was a big city for art. He worked for a magazine called VU. He used a small camera called a Leica. This helped him take photos quickly. He made photo essays. These are stories told with many pictures.

André liked to play with how things looked. He made a series called Distortions. He used special mirrors to change shapes. These mirrors made people look funny or strange.

He also took photos of people in water. The water changed their shapes too. Later, he moved to the United States. He moved to stay safe from war in Europe. Life in America was hard at first. He had to rebuild his name. Today, people see him as a master of photography. He changed how we look at the world.

André Kertész was a master of photography who changed how we see the world. He was famous for his unique ways of framing pictures and creating photo essays. A photo essay is a story told through a series of images. Even though his style was unusual, he eventually became a very important figure in 20th-century art. He did not go to school to learn his craft. Instead, he was an autodidact, which means he taught himself everything he knew. He spent his life finding beauty in unexpected places and angles.

Kertész used many different tools to capture his vision. In his early years, he used an ICA box camera. Later, in 1928, he switched to a smaller camera called a Leica. This small camera allowed him to move more freely. He loved to experiment with how light and shapes worked together. One famous way he did this was through his "Distortions" series.

In this series, he used special mirrors to change how people looked. The mirrors made limbs and features appear in strange, wavy shapes. He also took photos of swimmers to see how water could change a person's shape.

His journey began in Budapest, Hungary, where he was born in 1894. His family expected him to work in business at a stock exchange. However, André was more interested in the outdoors and magazines. He bought his first camera in 1912. During World War I, he served in the army and took photos of life in the trenches.

Sadly, many of those early photos were lost during the Hungarian Revolution of 1919. He also suffered a wound that caused his left arm to be paralyzed for a time. These early experiences helped shape his path as an artist.

In 1925, André moved to Paris to join the world of art. He changed his name from Andor to André during this time. He worked for a magazine called VU and became very successful. He even had the first one-man photography exhibition in 1927 at the Sacre du Printemps Gallery. He became friends with many famous artists and part of the Dada movement. In 1933, he published his first personal book of photos called "Enfants." He also released books like "Nos Amies les bêtes" in 1936. His work in France was some of his most productive.

Because of the rising threat of war and persecution in Europe, André moved to New York in 1936. He traveled on a ship called the SS Washington. Life in America was a hard job for him at first. He had to rebuild his reputation and find new work.

Many people in America were not used to having their photos taken on the street. Eventually, he found success and became a citizen of the United States. He lived a long life, passing away in 1985. Today, his photos are cherished by people all over the world.

André Kertész was a pioneering photographer who redefined the art of visual storytelling. He is celebrated for his groundbreaking work in photographic composition and the photo essay. A photo essay is a series of images that work together to tell a complete story. Although his unorthodox angles and unique style initially hindered his fame, he is now a seminal figure in 20th-century photography. Kertész was an autodidact, meaning he taught himself the craft of photography without formal schooling. He spent his career finding beauty in the unexpected and the everyday.

Kertész used various tools to achieve his artistic visions. In his early years, he utilized an ICA box camera. By 1928, he transitioned to using a Leica, which is a much smaller, more portable camera. This change allowed him to move more freely to capture spontaneous moments. He was particularly fascinated by how light and reflection could alter reality. One major method was his "Distortions" series, which utilized specialized mirrors.

These mirrors created wavy, unusual shapes of the human body. He applied similar curiosity to water, capturing how it distorted the form of a swimmer.

His career is categorized into four distinct chronological periods. These are the Hungarian period, the French period, the American period, and the International period. Each stage was defined by his location and where his work gained the most recognition. During the French period, he achieved significant commercial and critical success. In the American period, he faced a difficult transition as he rebuilt his reputation. Finally, his International period marked the later years of his life and his global legacy.

Kertész was born Andor Kertész on July 2, 1894, in Budapest, Hungary. He was the middle child of a middle-class Jewish family. His father, Lipót, was a bookseller who died in 1908. This loss left his mother, Ernesztin, to support the family with help from her brother. Although his family expected him to become a stockbroker, he preferred the outdoors and magazines. He purchased his first camera in 1912. During World War I, he served in the Austro-Hungarian army. He used a lightweight Goerz Tenax camera to photograph life in the trenches. Sadly, much of this early work was destroyed during the Hungarian Revolution of 1919.

In 1925, Kertész moved to Paris, which was then the artistic capital of the world. He changed his name from Andor to André during this time. He worked for VU, France's first illustrated magazine, and collaborated with editor Lucien Vogel. Vogel helped Kertész publish his work as photo essays. In 1927, Kertész became the first photographer to hold a one-man exhibition at the Sacre du Printemps Gallery. His work in Paris was highly productive, resulting in books like "Enfants" in 1933 and "Nos Amies les bêtes" in 1936. He was also connected to the Dada movement and many immigrant artists.

Due to the rising threat of World War II and the persecution of Jews in Europe, Kertész emigrated to the United States. He and his wife, Elizabeth, boarded the SS Washington in 1936. They arrived in New York on October 15, 1936. Life in America was a period of great difficulty, which he called an "absolute tragedy." He struggled because many Americans were not comfortable being photographed on the street. He had to work for the Keystone agency to rebuild his career. Despite these challenges, he eventually achieved international success and became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Kertész's influence extends to the very way modern photography is practiced. His ability to use composition to guide a viewer's eye changed the medium. He bridged the gap between journalistic reporting and fine art. His work with the photo essay helped establish a new way for magazines to communicate complex ideas through images. Today, his legacy lives on through the many photographers who use his methods of perspective and storytelling.