Eugene Atget, French, 1856-1927
Eugene Atget was born in Lisbourne, France in 1856. After his parents died in
1861 he went to live with an uncle in Bourdeaux where he received his primary
schooling. Atget worked as a sailor, actor, and painter before turning to photography
at the age of 41. He was completely self-taught and made a meager living by selling
photographs to architects, painters, stage designers and editors. He would photograph
subjects that he thought would be the most useful for his clientele such as parks,
streets, architectural details, vendors, farms and monuments. In all, Atget created
about 10,000 photographs of Paris and its surroundings. He received only one
commission in his lifetime and that was to document the brothels of Paris. In
1926 Man Ray published a few of Atget's photographs in his periodical La Revolution
Surrealist, but Atget received no credit. Although today he is thought of
as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, it was not
until after his death in 1927 that his work became appreciated and this was due
in large part to the efforts of Berenice Abbott who helped to promote and preserve
his work. Today his work can be found in collections such as The Museum of Modern
Art in New York and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.
Bibliography:
Gerry Badger, Eugene Atget 55, London: Phaidon Press, 2001.
David Harris, Eugene Atget: Unknown Paris, New York: The New York Press, 1999.
Molly Nesbit, Atget s Seven Albums, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.
John Szarkowski, Atget, New York: The Museum of Modern Art,, 2000.
Marcel Proust, A Vision of Paris: The Photographs of Eugene Atget, New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1963.
John Szarkowski, Maria Morris Hambourg, The Work of Atget: Modern Times, New York Graphic Society, 1985.
John Szarkowski, Maria Morris Hambourg, The Work of Atget: The Ancien Regime, New York Graphic Society, 1985.
John Szarkowski, Maria Morris Hambourg, The Work of Atget: The Art of Old Paris, New York Graphic Society, 1985.
John Szarkowski, Maria Morris Hambourg, The Work of Atget: Old France, New York Graphic Society, 1985.
LINKS
J. Paul Getty Museum
George Eastman House
V&A Museums
