Twentieth Century Photography and Parisian Nightlife: Brassaï Letter Announcing The Secret Paris of the Thirties and Marlborough Gallery Exhibition, 1976

Gyula Brassai

Manuscript & Autographs

Brassaï, Gyula Halász. Letter discussing the publication of The Secret Paris of the Thirties, written by the Hungarian born photographer whose images of Paris nightlife helped define twentieth century documentary photography. Brassaï gained international recognition through his photographs of nocturnal Paris produced during the early 1930s, images that documented the city’s bars, cabarets, streets, and marginalized social spaces with unusual candor and atmospheric lighting. His 1933 book Paris de Nuit established his reputation and led writer Henry Miller to describe him as “the eye of Paris.” This 1976 letter was written during the release of The Secret Paris of the Thirties, a publication that expanded the photographic record of Parisian nightlife by presenting images from the same early period that had remained unpublished or excluded from earlier editions.

Brassaï, Gyula Halász. Typed Letter Signed (“Brassai”). Paris, September 9, 1976. One page on personal stationery measuring approximately 11 3/4 x 8 1/4 inches. Writing in French, Brassaï discusses the simultaneous publication of his new photography book and his upcoming exhibition in New York. In the letter he notes: “My book, the Secret Paris of the Thirties (Pantheon Books) is due out at the same time.” He continues by mentioning travel plans connected with the exhibition, writing that he will be in New York from September 12 to September 28 in order to attend the opening of his show at the Marlborough Gallery. Brassaï also remarks on the date of the letter, noting that it coincides with his seventy seventh birthday. The letter is signed in large purple marker “Brassai” with an underline and includes a handwritten postscript in green marker reading “venir nous soutenir,” translated as “come support us.”

The Secret Paris of the Thirties, published in 1976 more than four decades after the photographs were first taken, completed Brassaï’s long project of documenting the hidden nightlife of interwar Paris. Many of the photographs originated from the same period as those reproduced in Paris de Nuit but had remained unpublished because they were considered too provocative for earlier editions. The images depict bars, nightclubs, one night hotels, bordellos, and other locations associated with the city’s nocturnal culture. Brassaï later wrote of his motivation for photographing the city at night: “I was inspired to become a photographer by my desire to translate all things that enchanted me in the nocturnal Paris I was experiencing.” The Marlborough Gallery exhibition in New York was organized in conjunction with the publication of the book and introduced many of these photographs to a wider audience for the first time. Folded twice through the center as mailed; otherwise clean and well preserved. Overall very good condition. A content rich letter documenting the publication and exhibition history of one of Brassaï’s most significant photographic projects.

Item #14264

Price: $750.00