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Études de nu

Germaine Krull French, born Poland
Author Preface by Jean Cocteau French
1930
Not on view
Influential in establishing a visual understanding of the industrial aesthetic of the late 1920s, Krull was an integral member of the international avant-garde based in Paris, yet remains a difficult artist to categorize. She is best known for her photographs of modern steel architecture, including the Eiffel Tower, which appear in her celebrated collection Métal (1928). In addition to architecture, she made studies of Paris's gypsies and vagrants, formal portraits, press propaganda photographs, fashion stills, and several suites of female nudes that range from the conventional to experimental and edgy. Krull always worked for publication, whether as a photojournalist or for her own publishing projects. She is considered a pioneer in the single-author photobook, which became a staple in modern and contemporary photography. Etudes de nu, published in 1930 by the influential Librarie des arts décoratifs with an introductory text by Jean Cocteau, comprises twenty-four loose photogravures depicting female nudes.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Études de nu
  • Artist: Germaine Krull (French (born Poland), Wilda-Poznan 1897–1985 Wetzlar, Germany)
  • Publisher: Librairie des Arts Décoratifs
  • Author: Preface by Jean Cocteau (French, Maisons-Laffitte 1889–1963 Milly-la-Forêt)
  • Date: 1930
  • Medium: Photogravures
  • Dimensions: Each sheet: 8 13/16 × 6 5/16 in. (22.4 × 16 cm)
  • Classifications: Portfolios, Photographs
  • Credit Line: Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library Fund, 2016
  • Object Number: 2016.320.1–.27
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

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