The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Lesbian Couple at Le Monocle

Lesbian Couple at Le Monocle

1932
(French, 1899–1984)
Image: 37.9 x 28 cm (14 15/16 x 11 in.); Matted: 55.9 x 45.7 cm (22 x 18 in.)
© The Brassaï Estate - RMN
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Gyula Halász photographed under the pseudonym Brassaï, or person from Brassó, his birthplace in Hungary (now Brașov, Romania).

Description

Brassaï's best-known photographs of the 1930s describe the nocturnal atmosphere of Paris, recording the misty streets and smoke-filled cafés frequented by artists, poets, writers, and other colorful characters. Although working with a cumbersome magnesium flash, Brassaï was so sensitive to his surroundings that his subjects remained entirely at ease before the camera. This photograph, taken at a bar owned by Lulu de Montparnasse on the rue Edgar Quinet, captures a relaxed couple enjoying a late evening. Brassaï was one of the first to exploit the full pictorial possibilities of night photography, creating a new aesthetic based on the curious and harsh effects of gas and electric lights.
  • ?-1992
    Anselm Talalay [1912-1994] and Marjorie Freedman Talalay [1921-2008], Cleveland, OH
    May 18, 1992
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • "1992 Annual Report." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 6 (1993): 215-95. Reproduced: p. 246 www.jstor.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 108
  • Twilight Visions: Surrealism, Photography, and Paris. Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, GA (June 9-October 10, 2010).
    Brassaï: The Eye of Paris. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (organizer) (December 6, 1998-February 28, 1999); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (April 14-July 4, 1999); National Gallery of Art, Landover, MD (October 17, 1999-January 16, 2000).
    Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 24, 1996-February 2, 1997).
    Signs of Affection: Gifts Honoring the Museum's 75th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 1992-January 3, 1993).
  • {{cite web|title=Lesbian Couple at Le Monocle|url=false|author=Brassaï|year=1932|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.97