E. Csorba Csilla: A kamera poétája. Adré Kertész-fotó a Petőfi Irodalmi Múzeum gyűjteményeiből (Budapest, 2019)
Életrajz / Biographical details
BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS 1894 Kertész is born in Budapest on 2 July. His father Lipót Kertész is a trader; his mother Ernesztin Hoffmann runs a coffee outlet in Teleki Square. His brothers are Imre and Jenő. He spends part of his childhood and youth in Szigetbecse. 1909 After his father's death his uncle Lipót Hoffmann looks after his progress. 1912 He receives his first camera. He teaches himself to take photographs and makes his early photos on 45 x 60 mm glass plates. After finishing secondary school, he begins working at the Budapest Stock and Commodity Exchange. 1914 At the end of July he volunteers to join the army and fights on the Polish and Russian fronts, and also takes pictures. 1915 He is seriously wounded and is treated in hospital for a long time. 1917 His first published photograph appears in Az Érdekes Újság. 1924 The first year when his works are displayed at a group exhibition in Budapest. 1925 Kertész moves to Paris and soon establishes contact with members of the Hungarian colony of artists, primarily with Lajos Tihanyi, István Beöthy, József Csáky and Gyula Zilzer. He meets Piet Mondrian, Alexander Calder, Sergei Eisenstein and Ossip Zadkine, 1927 His joint exhibition with painter Ida Thai is held in the Au Sacre du Printemps gallery, Paris. At the opening Paul Dermée’s poem about Kertész is read. In addition, Attila József and Ferenc Hont recite poems. 1928 Kertész buys his first Leica camera. He marries Rózsi Klein, who would later become a well-known photographer under the name of Rogi André. From this year on, his photographs regularly appear at French and international photo exhibitions. 1932 He divorces his wife and marries Erzsébet Salamon (Saly). 1933 He publishes his first book, Enfants (Children). 1934 His album Paris vu par André Kertész (Paris Seen by André Kertész) with a foreword by Pierre Mac Orlan comes out. His photographs illustrate György Bölöni's volume The Real Ady. 1936 His album Nos amies les bétes (Our Friends the Animals) is published. In the autumn he and his wife travel to the United States, where they later settle. 1944 Kertész becomes an American citizen. 1963 He is awarded a gold medal at the Venice Biennale. His negatives thought to be lost are found. He visits Budapest. 1964 His first retrospective exhibition opens in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His photographs are exhibited in the Bibliothéque Nationale in Paris. 1971 A solo exhibition of his works is held in the Hungarian National Gallery. He himself visits Budapest. 1972 The volume The Oeuvre of André Kertész is published by Corvina Publishing House and he travels to Budapest again. 1977 His wife Erzsébet Saly dies. The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation is founded in New York. 1984 He bequeaths some 100,000 negatives and 15,000 diapositives to the French state. On 15 March his exhibition opens in Budapest’s Vigadó Gallery. 1985 At the age of 91, Kertész passes away on 29 September in New York. 1987 The André Kertész Memorial Museum opens in Szigetbecse. 73
