Heinz Hajek-Halke (1898-1983)

Vintage silver print, signed in ink and with estate stamp on the reverse.

Hajek-Halke, H. 2006 p. 127.

The print has a glossy surface. There is one slight pressure mark visible at the centre of the lower edge and another, even smaller, at mid-height 2.5cm from the left edge. Otherwise condition is very good. Residues of tape on the reverse.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Though less famous today than his contemporaries Sander, Renger-Patzsch and Blossfeldt, Heinz Hajek-Halke is one of the remarkable figures of German avantgarde photography.  He was born in Berlin in 1898, spent his childhood in Argentina and studied art in Berlin.  His artistic work occupies a significant place in the history of photography.  His output from the pre-war period is characterised by photomontages and experimental works with an ironic, critical, sometimes political, even almost anarchic impact.  Pictures like 'The Popular song' (Der Gassenhauer) from c. 1930 or 'Malicious Gossip' (Die üble Nachrede) from 1932 reflect the modernity of life in a metropolis like Berlin.  After the War, Hajek-Halke focused on experimental studies which he called 'Lichtgrafiken'.  In 1949 he joined the avantgarde group fotoform founded in Saarbrücken by Otto Steinert, Peter Keetman and others.  He died in Berlin in 1983.

The experimental series of black and white nudes (Schwarzweisser Akt) is the most dense and most famous of Hajek-Halke's work.  The same negative is used in different ways to create variants.  The present lot and lot 70, although part of the same series (made between 1930 and 1936), differ in their pictorial language.  The expressive mirroring of the female body in the one differs completely from the balanced juxtaposition of the truncated classical statues in the other.  These elegant images bear comparison with the best that Man Ray was making in the 1930s.