31

LOUIS FAURER, (American, 1916-2001), PHILADELPHIA, signed and dated "1937 Louis Faurer" in pencil...

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
LOUIS FAURER, (American, 1916-2001), PHILADELPHIA, signed and dated  1937 Louis Faurer  in pencil...
LOUIS FAURER
(American, 1916-2001)
PHILADELPHIA
signed and dated "1937 Louis Faurer" in pencil on verso of flush-mount
gelatin silver print flush-mounted on board
131/4 x 813/16 in. (33.7 x 22.4)
1949
ESTIMATE: $10,000-15,000
PROVENANCE
Light Gallery, NEW YORK
EXHIBITED
PARIS, FRANCE, Palais de Tokyo, LOUIS FAURER, April 8 - June 1, 1992
HOUSTON, The Museum of Fine Arts, LOUIS FAURER RETROSPECTIVE, January 11 - April 14, 2002; traveled to ANDOVER, MA, Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, May 4- July 28, 2002; SAN DIEGO, The Museum of Photographic Art, August 11- October 20, 2002; CHICAGO, The Art Institute of Chicago, November 9, 2002-January 26, 2003
LITERATURE
"Louis Faurer: Sometime in New York City," D+J+-VU [Tokyo], no. 16, Spring 1994, p. 18 (illustrated)
LOUIS FAURER, London, Merrell, 2002, cat. no. 5, p. 67 (illustrated)
Louis Faurer made this photograph in 1937, the first year he ever used a camera. Shot from a high vantage point, it depicts pedestrians crossing the street as they form a subtle geometric composition. This vintage print also captures the velvety light falling on the scene. Throughout his career, Faurer experimented tirelessly with ways to make better prints. Master printer Chuck Kelton, who worked with Faurer in his later years, has commented that, "[Faurer] did everything known and unknown to achieve the tonal quality that he wanted. ... [He] used all different papers, different weights and different manufacturers, some matt and some semi-gloss. ... the depth of his concern was almost surreal because it controlled his life" (Quoted in Anne Wilkes Tucker, LOUIS FAURER, London, Merrell, 2002, p. 30).
Faurer had previously worked as a sign painter, and spent many summers sketching caricatures of tourists on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. Basically a self-taught photographer, Faurer became good friends with Ben Somoroff, Ben Rose and Sol Mednick. All three had studied with the legendary art director, Alexey Brodovitch, at the Museum School of
Industrial Art in Philadelphia. Faurer evidently learned a great deal from these men, and eventually went to New York to become a successful fashion photographer.