When we talk about the work of Gyula Halász (Brassaï’s original name), what springs to mind are his scenes of Paris by night. Born in Transylvania in 1899, he studied at the University of Arts in Berlin before finally settling in Paris in 1924, a city that was to become the main subject of his work. His depiction its streets, his extraordinary treatment of light and the details captured in his images brought him fame, with some of his shots becoming genuine cultural icons, symbols of an age and of the city.

The nocturnal scenes collected in his book Paris by Night are complemented by his work that reveals the everyday life of the city by day. The monuments, picturesque spots, scenes from daily life and architectural details are present in his work as a reflection of the irresistible fascination the artist felt for the French capital. In his quest to cover all of the facets of Paris, he also immersed himself in the city’s darker side. For Brassaï the gang members, outcasts, prostitutes and drug addicts all represented the least cosmopolitan aspect of Paris, an aspect that was more alive and more authentic. He compiled a huge collection of images of entertainment venues, ranging from night clubs to popular festivals and featuring the people who frequented them.

The catalogue follows all of the artistic facets of the photographer, from photos through to drawings of female nudes; it documents the trips commissioned by the magazine Harper´s Bazaar to Edinburgh, Morocco, Greece, Italy, Turkey and Spain.