Pont Transbordeur, Marseille

László Moholy-Nagy

1929 · Gelatin silver print · Photographs

In 1929 Moholy-Nagy traveled to Marseilles, where he photographed the Pont Transbordeur, a steel transporter bridge that was celebrated, like the Eiffel Tower, as an icon of modern construction. Like a number of other avant-garde photographers, including Germaine Krull, Herbert Bayer, and Florence Henri, Moholy-Nagy was fascinated by the dynamic spatial relations of the bridge's crisscrossing steel girders and open spiral staircase. In this photograph, he used the technique of reverse printing to create a bold graphic composition that simultaneously clarifies and transforms the structure of the bridge.

Artist

László Moholy-Nagy

Date

1929

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Gilman Collection, Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2005