Eugene Atget

Jean Eugene Auguste Atget (February 12th 1857, Libourne, the Gironde - August 4th 1927, Paris) is a Photographe French.

Biography

Eugene Atget was born from a couple of craftsmen of the Parisian suburbs. Orphan at the five years age, Eugene Atget is raised by his grandparents. After short secondary studies, it embarks like foam in the Merchant navy, and will be, of 1875 to 1877, on a ship of the lines of Africa.

In 1878, of return to Paris, it tries to enter, without success, with the courses of dramatic art of the Conservatoire. It must then achieve its military service. In 1879, it tries the Academy again, and succeeds. It begins a career of actor whom it will continue during fifteen years, without large réussite  ; in 1885, it enters a travelling troop actors. Its trade will have at least enabled him to meet, in 1895, Valentine Delafosse-Companion, who will become his wife.

The following year, victim of an affection of the vocal cords, it gives up the theater and Paris to launch out in painting, the drawing and the Photographie. As of 1890, it is of return to Paris to test itself with painting, without much success. It includes/understands quickly that the painters, architects and graphic designers need documentation, at this point in time it turns to photography. It starts to photograph systematically , with the intention to join together a documentary collection bound for the painters. It sticks initially on subjects mineurs : “small trades of Paris” that he sees disappearing, courses of buildings, fronts of the shops (he sells his pullings to the tradesmen for a modest sum). This work leads it to develop the project to photograph all that, in Paris, is artistic or picturesque. The institutions such as the National library charge the documentary interest of such a collection: it is per thousands that they buy its photographs.

In 1899, the couple settles with the 17 (a), Rue Countryside-First (where will be located the last scenes of Breathless ).

In spite of its famous customers of artists (Georges Directs, André Derain, Maurice Utrillo, Maurice de Vlaminck, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Moïse Kisling, Tsugouharu Foujita), the financial position of Atget is precarious (the couple will live during a time on the only incomes of his wife), particularly during and after the First World War, during which it gradually ceases photographing until the Années 1920.

Mrs Atget dies in 1926. And it is little before its death in misery, on August 4th, 1927, that the surrealist ones, in particular Man Ray thanks to her assistant Berenice Abbott, discover its work. By the publication of various articles and works on its work, Berenice Abbott makes it possible to make known the documentation which it constituted on the old districts of Paris. She writes about Atget :

“One will remember him like historian of town planning, of true romantic, in love with Paris, Balzac of the camera, whose work enables us to weave a vast tapestry of civilization française.  ”

In 1927, the year of died of Atget, the museum of the historic buildings of Paris acquires 2000 plates of its work.

Evocations in the literature

See too

Exposures

  • Rouen seen by Atget , Public library of Rouen, 1979
  • Hauts-de-Seine in 1900 - 127 photographs of Eugene Atget , Museum of the Ile-de-France, orangery of the castle of Seals, April 26th - June 26th, 1991.
  • Atget, a retrospective , National library of France, March 27th - July 1st, 2007
  • Hello Mr Atget! One century ago, walk photographic with the Country of Stamps . Exposure to the inter-commune museum of Stamps (Court of the Town hall, Places Hotel-of-City and Right-in-the Homme, 91150 Stamps), September 15th - December 15th, 2007

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