“THE SIMPLICITY OF GREAT ART”: LARGE LIMITED FIRST EDITION OF STETTTNER’S 10 PHOTOGRAPHS, ONE OF ONLY 265 COPIES

STETTNER, Louis. 10 Photographs… Introduction by Brassaï. Paris and New York: Two Cities Publications, (1949). Slim folio, six loose sheets and ten duotone plates in original heavy tan wrappers. Housed in a custom clamshell box. $4500.

Limited first edition, number 30 of only 265 copies, of this revealing selection of ten Paris and New York street images by Brooklyn-born Louis Stettner—“consummate street photographer in the Cartier-Bresson tradition.”

Praised by Brassaï as a photographer who reveals the world “with utmost accuracy and the simplicity of great art” (Early Joys), Brooklyn-born Louis Stettner is “a consummate street photographer in the Cartier-Bresson, Atget and, well, Weegee tradition” (New York Times). This impressive group of ten Stettner duotones provides memorable views of empty Paris street corners juxtaposed with high-contrast portraits of individuals on the street. As a realist, Stettner “renounces his personality, his ‘I’ with its little fads and immense pretensions. Henceforth he will live under the authority of reality and will dedicate his existence to the cult of its images.” Text by Brassaï in French and English translation.

Plates fine, original wrappers and loose sheets with expert repairs to folds. A near-fine copy.