Lot 66
  • 66

László Moholy-Nagy

Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 USD
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Description

  • László Moholy-Nagy
  • NEGATIVE/POSITIVE PHOTOGRAM PAIR
  • photogram/ photograph
a unique photogram and a positive print of the photogram, both inscribed 'oben' by the photographer and dated ‘1926’ and annotated ‘L. Moholy-Nagy’ by Sybil Moholy, the photographer’s wife, in pencil, numbered ‘1.’ and ‘2.’ respectively, and with directional and other notations in various hands in pencil and ink on the reverse, 1920s; accompanied by a frame backboard with exhibition labels (2 photographs, one backboard)

Provenance

Collection of the photographer

To his widow, Sybil Moholy

By descent to the present owner

Exhibited

Stuttgart, Württembergischer Kunstverein, László Moholy-Nagy, October – December 1974, and traveling thereafter to Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne; Künstgewerbemuseum der Stadt Zürich; Museum de XX Jahrhunderts, Vienna; Hungarian National Museum, Budapest; and Musée des Arts Décoratrifs, Paris through 1977

Valencia, Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno, Centre Julio Gonzalez, László Moholy-Nagy, February – April 1991, and traveling thereafter to Museum Fredericianum, Kassel; and Musée Cantini, Marseilles, through September 1991

Hayama, Museum of Modern Art, Moholy-Nagy in Motion, April – July 2011, and traveling thereafter to National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; and Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art, Sakura, through December 2011

Literature

These works: 

Herbert Molderings, Floris M. Neusüss, and Renate Heyne, Moholy-Nagy: The Photograms: Catalogue Raisonné (Ostfildern, 2009), fgm 87 and 87A, and p. 91

Krisztina Passuth, Moholy-Nagy (London and New York, 1985), pls. 116-17

Condition

Original, unique photogram: This photogram is on double-weight paper with a faintly glossy surface. The darks possess a real depth, and the photogram's shapes stand out in relief from this background. Close examination of the image shows doubling and/or shading of the shapes' edges, indicating that Moholy may have exposed the sheet to light multiple times, adjusting the shapes between exposures. The modulation between light tones, mid-grays, and blacks is masterfully handled. This photograph is in generally good condition. When viewed in raking light, many soft handling creases can be seen, although these do not detract in a significant way from the appearance of the image. There is a series of small creases in the lower right corner which have broken the emulsion. The image extends to the edge of the sheet, and there is some minor wear and chipping on the edges, most pronounced near the lower left corner. When viewed in raking light, some faint age-appropriate silvering can be seen. This appears somewhat unevenly across the surface of the print. Again, this does not diminish the impact of the image. On the reverse: '1.' is written in pencil, and circled, in the upper right corner. Moholy's 'oben' notation appears in pencil just above center. Sybil Moholy's notations appear in the upper right quadrant. 'Scharf druck' (sharp print) is written robustly in an unidentified hand in pencil above center. 'Untereinander' is written more faintly in an unidentified hand in pencil below center. '45-3[circled]' is in an unidentified hand in red ink near the center. The reverse shows some light soiling throughout. A tideline is visible in the upper right corner, this cannot be seen from the front. Positive photogram: This print is on double-weight paper with a faintly glossy surface. As is typical of Moholy's positive photograms, the tonal areas have a slightly granular quality imparted by the passage of light through the paper fibers of the original photogram. This, perhaps, accounts for the notation 'unscharf druck' (out of focus print). The edges of the composition's shapes are, indeed, softened in comparison to the original, as happens when a photogram is used as negative. This softening was an inherent quality of Moholy's 'revaluation' process. The print's surface is lightly soiled overall. An old, blurred red crayon mark is visible in the lower right quadrant. There may be residue of some substance – possibly adhesive – along the lower edge. When viewed in raking light, many soft handling creases can be seen, although these do not detract in a significant way from the appearance of the image. Some faint wear and abrasions – which do not break the emulsion – can be seen on the surface. On the reverse: there is a strip of brown paper remains along the top edge, indicating that this print was at one time affixed to a mount. There are areas of discoloration on the reverse which are not apparent in the image. '2.' is written in pencil, and circled, in the upper right corner. Moholy's 'oben' notation appears in pencil in the center. Sybil Moholy's notations appear in the upper right quadrant. 'Unscharf druck' (out-of-focus print) is written robustly in an unidentified hand in pencil above center. 'Untereinander' is written more faintly in an unidentified hand in pencil below center. '45-3' is in an unidentified hand in red ink near the center. Dating: Sybil Moholy, the photographer's wife, dated the reverse of each photograph offered here '1926.' Renate Heyne, Moholy authority and compiler of the catalogue raisonné of his photograms, has dated them to the period when Moholy was in Weimar, between 1923 and 1925. Moholy scholar Krisztina Passuth has given a slightly wider range of dates: 1922 to 1926. Both photographs are unusually large for Moholy's work from this period. There is one other negative / positive photogram in a similarly large format that dates to this period: fgm 84 and 84A. Heyne has noted that, stylistically, fgm 87 and 87A are of-a-piece with his Weimar period. At least one of the objects used in this photogram – the round shape with a circular hole – may appear in several other of Moholy's cameraless images from this period. Other intact positive/negative photogram pairs: Renate Heyne, in Moholy-Nagy: The Photograms: Catalogue Raisonné, locates eight intact positive/negative photogram pairs, all in institutional collections: Fgm 79 and 79A, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris Fgm 84 and 84A, George Eastman House, Rochester Fgm 86 and 86A, Museum of Fine Art, Houston (Manfred Heiting Collection) Fgm 115 and 115A, Bauhaus Archiv, Berlin Fgm 116 and 116A, George Eastman House, Rochester Fgm 118 and 118A, Museum Folkwang, Essen Fgm 134 and 134A, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C. Fgm 256 and 256A, George Eastman House, Rochester
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

This large and early pair of images by Moholy-Nagy comprises a unique original photogram and its corresponding positive image.  Individually, each photograph is a model of its type: the original photogram is boldly graphic, with strong white geometric shapes floating against a deep black background; its reinterpretation as a positive image is no less impressive.  Viewed in concert they encapsulate Moholy’s deep understanding of photography’s versatility as an expressive tool, and illustrate the extent to which the photogram process, in Moholy’s hands, could be used to make novel and dynamic images. 

Intact negative/positive photogram pairs, such as that offered here, are rare.  Renate Heyne, in Moholy-Nagy: The Photograms: Catalogue Raisonné, locates eight pairs, all in institutional collections.  It is believed that an intact photogram pair has never before appeared at auction.  Heyne knows of no other print of the positive photogram offered here (fgm 87A).  

The photogram process, for Moholy, was the essence of photography, as it involved the direct manipulation of light.  If one could master the challenge of controlling the action of light by hand onto photo-sensitive material, he reasoned, making images with a camera would come naturally.  Moholy made photograms throughout his long career, and his work with the process was always executed with characteristic adventurousness and rigor.  His exploration of the photogram extended past the making of unique originals to using them as a point of departure for new works. The second photograph offered here is one of a number of examples of Moholy’s reinterpretation of a photogram as a positive image.  Moholy made this photograph by contact printing the original photogram (fgm 87) onto a sheet of photographic paper, producing an image (fgm 87A) whose tonal values are reversed from the original.  While the resulting print is inextricably related to its source, it presents a new aesthetic experience.  Moholy called this process ‘revaluation’ and began experimenting with it during his years in Weimar, between 1923 and 1925. 

The notations on the reverse of the photogram and its positive counterpart indicate that Moholy intended both images to be viewed together.  The numbering (‘1.’ on the photogram, ‘2.’ on the positive), the directional ‘oben’, and the notation ‘untereinander’ indicate that these photographs were to be exhibited and/or reproduced one on top of the other.  Several other positive/negative photogram pairs by Moholy from this period are marked with similar instructions, indicating if they are to be shown side by side, or one of top of the other (cf. fgm 84 and 84A, and fgm 86 and 86A).