Lot 125
  • 125

LÁSZLÓ MOHOLY-NAGY | Untitled (Cat, Seen from Above)

Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
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Description

  • László Moholy-Nagy
  • Untitled (Cat, Seen from Above)
  • 9 1/8  by 6 3/4  in. (23.2 by 17.1 cm.)
warm-toned, typed exposure and printing notations on the reverse, circa 1926, printed no later than 1929

Literature

Das Deutsche Lichtbild: Jahresschau 1930 (Berlin, 1929), p. 76 (this print)

Arts et Métiers Graphiques, No. 16, Numéro Spécial Consacré à la Photographie (15 March 1930),  p. 104 

Advertising Arts: Design Supplement to Advertising & Selling (New York, 1931), cover

Matthew S. Witkovsky, Carol S. Eliel, and Karole P. B. Vail, Moholy-Nagy: Future Present (The Art Institute of Chicago, 2016), pl. 148

Condition

This warm-toned photograph, on double-weight paper with a slight surface sheen, is in generally excellent condition. It has a pleasant velvety appearance overall complete with rich, creamy highlights. Very faint silvering is visible at the extreme edges of the image only in raking light. There is a thin 1/8-inch scratch in the upper right quadrant near the edge, resulting in a very small loss of emulsion. The typed exposure/printing notations on the reverse read as follows: 'Moholy-Nagy Prok. L. "Katze" Ernemann-Kamera 6x9, Anastigmat 1:4,5, F-12 cm. Gevaert-Super-Sensima-Special-Platte, belichte 1/50 Sek. September, Mittags, sonnig. Vergrossert suf Leonar Bromsilberhart 30x40 cm. Hochglanz.' When examined under ultraviolet light, this print does not appear to fluoresce.
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 rare, positive print of Cat, Seen from Above, was illustrated in the prestigious photography annual Das Lichtbild 1930, published in the fall of 1929.  Credited to ‘Prof. L. Moholy-Nagy,’ it received a full left page illustration opposite Albert Renger-Patzsch’s Mantelpavian (Hamadryas Baboon).  The negative, better known version of this image was reproduced extensively early in the photographer’s career, notably in the definitive anthology of the photographer's work, 60 Fotos (1930), there captioned ‘Magical effect of the negative.’  Rendered as either positive or negative, this image is a prime example of Moholy-Nagy’s experimental attitude toward the medium and its plasticity in his capable hands. At the time of this writing, it is believed that no other early print of the image has appeared at auction.  Another positive print of this image, originally in the collection of Ergy Landau and Raymond Grosset, is now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1985.1150.4).