The Sculptor, Germaine Richier
Brassaï (Gyula Halász)
French, born Brassó. 1899–1984
1958
A black-and-white gelatin silver portrait in which the photographer frames a working sculptor with her press to capture both the sitter's presence and the materially rough world of her making.
You are struck by the sitter's calm, direct gaze set against the looming, angular levers of a heavy press whose hard shadows and close cropping give the composition an almost sculptural intensity.
Made in the late 1950s, the photograph links documentary portraiture to modern sculpture by placing artist and tool on equal footing, making the labor and materiality of artistic practice visible and dignified.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
19 1/16 × 15 9/16" (48.4 × 39.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
David H. McAlpin Fund
Accession
2560.1967
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
