Paris Brassai

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Shortly before his death in 1984, Brassaï explained how the city of Paris had served as an infinite source of inspiration―a unifying theme that characterised each phase of his artistic oeuvre and lay at the very heart of his work. Through hundreds of photographs, this volume presents the diverse facets of Brassaï’s beloved Paris: from the nostalgic city that he discovered as a child in the 1900s, to the fleeting and ever-changing graffiti on the city’s walls; from the revelers in the Bohemian bars and clubs during the Années Folles , to his reciprocal artistic exchange with Picasso in their portrayals of 1930s Paris; and finally to Brassaï’s vision of an eternal Paris, in which he captured everyday Parisians at leisure and elevated the familiar to the sublime. From winsome children playing in the public gardens to amorous couples on amusement park attractions, from opera and ballet stars to prostitutes and vagabonds, from cobblestone alleyways to ephemeral graffiti, Brassaï’s photo- graphs embody the very essence of Paris.