Brassaï [Gyula Halász]. (1899-1984)
Collection of Original Sketchbooks and Drawings
An important collection of early sketchbooks and original drawings from the influential Hungarian-born French photographer, sculptor, writer, and filmmaker. The three sketchbooks, one dated 1915, and one with drawings dated 1916, contain a total of 104 pages of pencil, ink, charcoal and watercolor drawings including portraits, animal and figure studies, architectural drawings and geometrical shapes. Some works are captioned in Hungarian. An interesting and important record of the artist's very early work, accomplished as a young man during World War I in Transylvania.The first sketchbook, of lined paper, is inscribed with Brassaï's name (Halász G. Y.) and dated Brassó [Brassaï's hometown in Transylvania], 1915. 44 pp. drawings in total. Heavy wear and fraying to the boards; slight water stains; internally in very good condition. 6.5 x 8 inches (16.5 x 20.5 cm). Contents: 1 full-page ink drawing of a crowd of people, dated Oct. 30; 4 pages of pencil studies of men in uniform, seated and standing, dated Nov. 3-5; ink drawing of a group of standing women, dated Nov. 5; ink drawing and colored pencil drawing of standing figures, dated Nov. 5; 2 pages of pencil drawings of standing figures, dated Nov. 5; 5 pages of pencil and colored pencil drawings of a young boy, dated Nov. 6-8; 1 page of pencil drawings of people with umbrellas, dated Nov. 10; 2 pages of rough pencil sketches of a face, dog, and a female figure, dated Nov. 10; 1 page drawings of a woman, heavily shaded in pencil, dated Nov 10; 2 pages rough pencil sketches of people, backs, and studies of arms, dated Nov. 10; 2 pages pencil drawings of a young boy, standing, dated Nov 10; 1 page rough sketches of men, undated; 2 pages rough pencil sketches of a dog, dated Nov. 11; 1 page pencil sketch of a seated man and rough figures, dated Nov. 11; 1 page very bold pencil studies of fighting figures, dated Nov. 11; 1 page pencil studies of standing figures, dated Nov. 10; 1 page rough pencil sketches of a young child, dated Nov. 13; 1 page rough pencil sketches of standing figures, dated Nov. 13; 1 page pencil sketch of a man with glasses and mustache, dated Nov. 13; 2 pages pencil sketches of a young child, dated Nov. 14; 1 page pencil sketches of standing figures, undated; 1 page bold pencil sketches of standing figures, dated Nov. 14; 1 page rough sketches of standing figures and shapes, dated Nov. 15; 1 page bold pencil sketches of a dog and a child, dated Nov. 16; 1 page pencil drawings of a young child, dated Nov. 17; 5 pages pencil sketches of standing figures, dated Nov. 19; 1 full-page pencil drawing of an outdoor scene at a fair, dated Nov. 19.
The second sketchbook, of grid paper, contains drawings dated 1916, many with captions in Hungarian. Scribbles, mathematical calculations, and geometric diagrams on the endpapers. Most of the drawings are identified as having been drawn in Szászsebes (Sebeș, Transylvania) or Brassó. 42 pp. drawings in total. Heavy wear and fraying to the boards; several pages removed; otherwise in fine condition internally. 6 x 9 inches (14.5 x 22.5 cm). Contents: 1 loose full-page pencil drawing of men in uniform with a van outside a gate, dated Sep. 11; 1 loose page drawings of a young child, dated Jan. 1; 1 loose full-page drawing of a man with beard in profile; 1 loose page drawings of men and women, part of the page cut away, dated Sep. 17; 1 page pencil drawings of women at a fair, dated Jul. 20; 1 page pencil drawing of a man in uniform, dated Jul. 20; 1 full-page pencil drawing of women at a market stall, dated Jul. 20; 1 page pencil drawings of standing and seated figures with headscarves, dated Jul. 20; 1 full-page pencil drawing of people at a cheese chart, dated Jul. 20; 1 page small pencil sketch of a standing woman, dated Jul. 20; 1 page pencil sketch of a group of standing figures, dated Jul. 22; 1 page pencil sketches of chickens; 1 page pencil drawings of pigs; 1 page very small pencil drawings of figures approaching a wall, dated Jul. 22; 1 page pencil drawings of cows, dated Jul. 22; 1 full-page pencil drawing of a boy playing a viola, dated Jul. 30; 1 page pencil drawing of a pig, dated Jul. 26; 1 full-page pencil drawing of a boy in a tree, dated Jul. 26; 1 full-page pencil drawing of cows, dated Jul. 27; 1 full-page pencil drawing of a family with a covered wagon, dated Jul. 27; 1 page rough ink and pencil drawings of a boy; 1 full-page pencil drawing of a boy looking out a window, dated Jul. 27; 1 full-page pencil drawing of two men playing flute and violin, dated Jul. 30; 1 full-page ink drawing of people working with a large barrel in the center, dated Jul. 27; 1 full-page pencil drawing of a doll, dated Jul. 31; 1 full-page pencil drawing of a fence, flowers and trees, dated Jul. 31; 1 page pencil drawing of two men in uniform at a fence, dated Aug. 5; 1 page pencil drawing of a pig, dated Aug. 1; 1 page small pencil drawings of cats and birds, dated Aug. 1; 1 page pencil drawing of people at a table; 1 page pencil drawing of a train traveling around a curve, dated Aug. 5; 1 full-page pencil drawing of people waiting at a train station, dated Aug. 5; 1 page small colored pencil drawings of ducks, chickens, and rabbits, dated Aug. 8; 1 page colored pencil drawing of a figure on a park bench, dated Aug. 8; 1 page colored pencil drawing of 3 figures at a table with a lantern, dated Aug. 9; 1 page ink drawing of men in unfirom sitting under a tree, dated Aug. 10; 1 full-page pencil drawing of a male semi-nude, dated Aug. 11; 1 page small pencil drawings of squirrels in a tree, dated Aug. 14; 1 full-page pencil drawing of the view over a fence; 1 page bold ink sketch of a half-length figure; 1 full-page ink drawing of a landscape with cows, dated Aug. 23; 1 full-page pencil sketch of figures in a house.
The third sketchbook, of blank paper, is labeled on the cover: "Halász Gyulas / Ábrázoló geometria" ("Descriptive geometry.") Undated. 18 pp. drawings in total. Some external wear, internally in fine condition except for light toning. 7.5 x 9.75 inches (19.5 x 24.5 cm). Contents: 1 page pencil and ink architectural drawings; 1 page ink drawing of a fountain with another small ink sketch; 1 page architectural ink drawing with charcoal scribbles at the foot; 1 full-page charcoal drawing of a house; 1 page ink drawings of city buildings and trees; 1 full-page ink and watercolor drawing of concrete buildings; 7 pages geometrical pencil diagrams with captions in Hungarian; 2 pages blue and black ink and pencil lettering, geometrical designs, and architectural details; 1 page small architectural ink drawings; 1 page pencil and charcoal drawing with studies of a male head; 1 full-page ink and pencil drawing of concrete buildings.
Together with two large original drawings, one of a woman dated Berlin, April 1921, approx. 48 x 42 cm, and one of an old woman, approx. 60 x 45.5 cm. Each signed "Halász" upper right.
Known primarily for his dramatic photographs of Paris at night, the artist's pseudonym, Brassaï, is derived from the name of his native city. He trained as an artist and settled in Paris in 1924, working there as a sculptor, painter, and journalist and associating with such artists as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, and the writer Henry Miller. Although he disliked photography at the time, he found it necessary to use it in his journalistic assignments and soon came to appreciate the medium’s unique aesthetic qualities. In his remarkable oeuvre of photographs, Brassai imbues even the most inanimate images with a warm sense of human life. The present early collection of drawings, shows the artist honing his eye through keen observation of detail and nuance, precisely the qualities which would inform the work for which he is today best remembered. (13232)
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