Maurice Tabard 1897-1984

The image offered here was reproduced in the short-lived but important Surrealist journal, Bifur, whose 8 issues were published between May 1929 and June 1931. The central large figure in this photograph is Fabien Loris.  An actor and artist, Loris collaborated with photographer – and Tabard’s studio assistant – Roger Parry in creating images for the seminal Surrealist book Banalité (Paris, 1930).  For this project, Loris contributed the cutout shapes and figures used to make the photograms that appear in the book.  A dual portrait of Loris and Parry taken by Tabard was offered in these rooms on 23 October 2002 (Photographs from The Museum of Modern Art, Sale 7851, Lot 85).