Heinz Hajek-Halke

ferrotyped, signed in ink and with date and reduction notations in crayon, and the photographer's copyright, estate, and studio stamps, and printed title on the reverse, 1930

Sotheby's London, 12 November 2007, Sale 7431, Lot 70

Heinz Hajek-Halke: Artist, Anarchist (Göttingen, 2006), cover and p. 119

This ferrotyped print is on double-weight paper. As is typical of ferrotyped prints, scattered surface scratches are visible upon close examination. In raking light, soft and sharp handling creases, some of which may break the emulsion, and scattered deposits of original retouching, are visible overall. The print is trimmed to the image, and the edges and corners are worn, with some attendant chipping and emulsion loss. The reverse of the print is lightly soiled, with some adhesive and tape remains. The reduction notations in red or blue crayon are as follows: '27' [circled], '17 x 24 cm.,' 'Pa 43,' and '4003.' The photographer's studio stamps on the reverse read: 'H. HAJEK-HALKE Experimentelle Fotografie BERLIN-GRUNEWALD Hagenstraße 32' and 'Aufn. H. HAJEK-HALKE 14b [circled] Wasserburg Bodensee Hage 74 1/2.' The first has been stamped twice. The copyright stamp reads: 'Das Bild darf nur mit Namensnennung Photo Hajek-Halke veröffentlicht warden.' The Estate stamp ('HHH/Inventar') is annotated 'B/21/4' 'in an unidentified hand in pencil.
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.

Heinz Hajek-Halke’s career in photography was wide-ranging: he began with creative experimentation in the 1920s, then moved to press and advertising photography in the 1930s; during World War II, he escaped Nazism and relocated to Lake Constance, where he photographed for natural science journals.  In the 1950s, as a member of the avant-garde organization fotoforum, he worked on his celebrated lichtgrafiken, or camera-less works; from 1955 to 1967, he taught photography and graphic design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin.

The nude study offered here is part of a larger series of graphic, black-and-white nudes from the 1930s, perhaps the best known of Hajek-Halke’s work.  The reverse of this print, with its profusion of studio stamps and a typed caption label, establishes it as an early print.