Martin Munkácsi

Munkácsi Martin ( born May 18, 1896 in Kolozsvár, Hungary, † July 13, 1963 in New York, NY; actually Márton Mermelstein or marble stones ) was an important reportage and fashion photographer of the 20th century.

Life

Martin Munkácsi came from a Jewish family, his father Lipot Mermelstein was a craftsman. He Magyarized the family name to Munkácsi to avoid anti-Semitic discrimination. Martin worked from 1912 as a painter and sports reporter in Budapest. His career as a photographer, he started as an autodidact. Despite the difficult family circumstances - his father was an alcoholic - and in spite of low education was already used by him in the 20s, to publish pictures in Budapest newspapers and sports magazines. In 1927, he worked for several leading magazines Berlin as a photojournalist. In May 1934, Munkácsi emigrated to the United States, where he began his career as a fashion photographer for the magazine Harper 's Bazaar. In 1936 he joined the staff of Life magazine. Since the 40s the photojournalist counted in the United States to the pioneering fashion photographer.

Work

Munkácsi combined his experience in sports photography with fashion photography. With dynamic and unconventional points of view he presented fashion primarily in an everyday context. He revolutionized fashion photography, he implemented by using special techniques of movement within the static medium of photography. In terms of a " New Vision " show his portrait and corporate photography a reality that was just in from the 20s of speed and technical progress, including through the medium of film. With its motto "Think while you shoot! " Munkácsi coined the idea that good photography first arises in the mind, and inspired other world-class photographers such as Henri Cartier -Bresson:

"Probably in 1931 or 1932 I saw a photograph by your father of three black children running into the sea, and I must say it did is did very photograph Which was for me the spark did set fire to the fireworks [ ... ] and made me realize Suddenly did photography Could reach eternity through the moment. It is only did one photograph Which Influenced me " ( Henri Cartier -Bresson in a letter to daughter Joan Munkácsi, May 25, 1977).