The pictures can be divided into three very different categories of technique and theme, yet still connected by their unique perspective and experimentalism. Although Moholy-Nagy, who tried his hand at painting, production design and writing, did not consider himself a photographer and perhaps never even stepped foot in a darkroom, his influence on this form of art is undeniable.
Moholy-Nagy left Hungary for Vienna and later for Berlin in 1920. There, he met his first wife, Lucia Schultz. The first room presents their experiments with photograms. These pictures were taken without a camera on highly light-sensitive material. These works of arts represent exciting experiments with light.
Moholy-Nagy became acquainted with Bauhaus in 1923, when Walter Gropius invited him to teach at his school in Weimar. There his colleagues included Paul Klee, Kandinsky and Oskar Schlemmer, whose children are the subjects of some of the photographs at the current exhibition.
The second themed section focuses on one of the most interesting elements of Moholy-Nagy’s oeuvre, 'photo plastics', thought to be his own invention. Black-and-white photos of Lucia’s colourful creations are on display here, including an original enlargement from 1925. These photos are sprinkled with personal details, political references and humour, and were given titles by Moholy-Nagy himself.
The third and largest section presents more personal photos that he took during his travels in Berlin, Marseille and Ascona. In them, although places and forms are easily recognisable, the perspectives are unique, and shot in Bauhaus style.
When taking photographs, Moholy-Nagy was always more interested in the how rather than in the what. He often presented buildings and objects with abstract geometrical forms; he often used the lines of pavements, columns, shadows and trees to lead the eye in his pictures. This way, viewers see the subject, as well as a geometrical layout that forms a kind of second layer on the photo at the same time.
Pictures taken of the ladies in his life, Lucia Moholy, his second wife Sybil and Ellen Frank, bring a personal touch to the exhibition. These are not traditional portraits either, but rather experiments.
The Genius Experimenter – the Photography of Moholy-Nagy Mai Manó House District VI. Nagymező utca 20
Open: until 12 May, Tue-Sun noon-7pm
Admission: 1,500 HUF
