Atget. Photo Presente Les Grands Maitres de la Photo 10: Eugene Atget.

Milano (Filipacchi), 1982. 64pp. Text in French by Romeo Martinez and Ferdinand Sciana. Profusely illustrated. Wraps. 58 photographs reproduced in a purplish brown tone evocative of the original prints by the influential French photographer. Like new. Summary:

This volume is part of the prestigious French series "Les Grands Maîtres de la Photo," published by Photo magazine (Hachette). It serves as a focused retrospective on Eugène Atget, the man often cited as the "creator of modern photography."

The Subject: The Poet of Old Paris

The publication highlights Atget’s monumental project: documenting the streets, architecture, and vanishing "petits métiers" (small trades) of Paris before they were lost to modernization.

• The Aesthetic of Absence: The summary emphasizes Atget’s signature style—empty streets, early morning light, and reflections in shop windows—which gave his documentary work an accidental, haunting surrealism.

• The "Worker" vs. "Artist": It touches upon Atget’s self-perception; he famously referred to his work as "documents for artists" rather than art itself, yet the publication illustrates why his technical precision and composition surpassed simple record-keeping.

Key Features of the Publication

• Curated Selection: It features high-quality reproductions of his most iconic categories, including the intricate ironwork of Parisian balconies, the unpopulated parks of Versailles, and the storefront mannequins that later captivated the Surrealists.

• Biographical Context: The text traces his life from a failed actor to a commercial photographer who lived in near-obscurity, only to be "discovered" late in life by Berenice Abbott and Man Ray.

• Critical Legacy: It explores his immense influence on subsequent generations of photographers, particularly in establishing the "straight" photography movement.

Significance

As part of the Photo series, this volume is designed to be an accessible but authoritative primer. It successfully positions Atget as the bridge between 19th-century topographical photography and 20th-century artistic modernism, making the case that he provided the visual blueprint for how we photograph the urban environment today.