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Bill Brandt (British, 1904–1983) is an acknowledged 20th-century master of photography. His early work sensitively documented the social contrasts of pre–World War II life in Britain: from farmers and miners to landlords and industrial barons. Later he shifted to a surreal, formal experimentation. The divisions in Brandt's career, though, are not precise; his vision ranged widely from direct photojournalism to moody landscapes to stark portraiture to high-contrast, distorted nudes. After working as Man Ray's assistant in Paris in 1929, Brandt returned to London to become a freelancer for the Weekly Illustrated. During the "blitz" of World War II, Brandt photographed London by night, following the crowds into the Underground to escape the bombs. After the war, Brandt documented his artist and writer contemporaries, providing great insight into this period of creative ferment. In the early 1950s Brandt abandoned his documentary style and returned to his interests in the surreal developed earlier in Paris. Even though much of his work was driven by specific historic periods and events, Brandt's endless search for ways to expand the medium continues to make his work fresh and timeless today.
Bill Brandt: A Retrospective is curated by John-Paul Kernot, Director of The Bill Brandt Archive, London. This exhibition is organized by The Bill Brandt Archive and CATE.
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