Florence Henri: Mirror of the Avant-Gardes 1927-40

(Hardback)

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Florence Henri's work occupied a central place in the world of avant-garde photography in the late 1920s and this survey pays homage to the artist's essential contribution. Accompanying an exhibition at the Jeu de Paume, the volume offers an overview of Henri's work produced between 1927 and 1940, including her iconic self-portraits and still lifes as well as her lesser-known portraits of her contemporaries, photomontages, collages and documentary work. Lszl Moholy-Nagy declared that with Florence Henri's photos, photographic practice enters a new phasethe scope of which would have been unimaginable before today. Above and beyond the precise and exact documentary composition of these highly defined photos, research into the effects of light is tackled not only through abstract photograms, but also in photos of real-life subjects Reflections and spatial relationships, superposition and intersections are just some of the areas explored from a totally new perspective Henri remains an inspiration for photographers, artists and design enthusiasts alike.

Reviews

Henris photographs radically charm the eye in their disorienting spatial compositions. Hyperallergic With Mirror of the avant-garde we are again reminded of arts long reflective past while already catching a glimpse of the electronic social media selfie world, currently ours, replete with its looping narcissistic circular causality. Hyperallergic Her visual investigations are excellent expressions of post-Cubist and Constructivist ideas, as reflections and spatial relationships, superposition and intersections are explored formally in black and white. Hyperallergic Florence Henri seemed to know and be rated by everyone in the world of the avant-garde in Europe in the teens and twenties of the 20th century. Christie's

Author Bio

Florence Henri initially studied painting at the Academie Moderne, Paris. In 1928, she turned to photography after spending a semester at the Dessau Bauhaus. Henri continued to make photographs until WWII, when the Nazi occupation of France forbid her photographic style and materials became difficult to source. She turned her attention to abstract painting and continued to paint until her death in the early 1980s. Florence Henri initially studied painting at the Academie Moderne, Paris. In 1928, she turned to photography after spending a semester at the Dessau Bauhaus. Henri continued to make photographs until WWII, when the Nazi occupation of France forbid her photographic style and materials became difficult to source. She turned her attention to abstract painting and continued to paint until her death in the early 1980s. Giovanni Battista Martini manages the Florence Henri estate and worked very closely with the artist on her archive prior to her death in 1982. Marta Gili is director of the Jeu de Paume, Paris and also acts as a curator and art critic. She was formally the director of visual arts at Fundacio la Caixa in Barcelona and continues to teach graduate classes in Europe. Cristina Zelich is a photo historian, freelance curator and author of The White Book of Catalan Photographic Heritage (1996). She has collaborated on many publications and recently curated an exhibition on Lisette Model. Susan Kismaric is a curator in the department of photography at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. She has been a visiting photography critic at Yale School of Art, and teaches at Fordham University.