André Kertész - The Manchester Collection - 1984

André Kertész: The Manchester Collection is a highly regarded photography monograph and exhibition catalogue published as a festschrift (a celebratory tribute book) to honor the 90th birthday of the legendary Hungarian-born photographer André Kertész. Widely celebrated as a foundational figure in photojournalism and 35mm street photography, Kertész personally selected the works included in this volume.

The book acts as a comprehensive documentation of a major collection of photographic prints that Kertész donated to the United Kingdom’s National Museum of Photography, Film & Television (now the National Science and Media Museum) in Bradford. The core objective of both the book and the accompanying exhibition was to bring an expansive retrospective of Kertész's lifetime of work directly to Northern England.
The book organizes Kertész's career into separate, structured chapters:
• Early work in Hungary
• Still-lifes and abstractions
• Portraits and figure studies
• Iconic street photography produced primarily in France (Paris) and New York.

Each distinct section features analytical introductions and written contributions from preeminent photography curators, historians, and peers. Notable commentators include Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mark Haworth-Booth, Weston Naef, Colin Ford, and Charles Harbutt. In a famous tribute within the book, Cartier-Bresson affectionately noted his admiration for Kertész's ongoing genius by stating, "I choose the next picture coming out of his camera."

With textual contributions by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Harold Riley, Weston Naef, and others. Illustrated with 297 images, printed in warm duotone. 186pp. Slim 4to, blue cloth. (Lausanne: The Manchester Collection, 1984). First edition. Cloth is slightly rubbed, otherwise a near fine copy, inscribed and dated by Kertesz on the title page. Quite scarce. A catalogue printed in the form of a Festschrift on the occasion of kertesz's 90th birthday, featuring a comprehensive overview of his work, excepting the "distortion" series. , Lausanne.

Copy in near fine condition.