Nickolas Muray

In the United States, Nickolas Muray (1892 – 1965) is regarded as one of the most influential portrait and advertising photographers of the first half of the 20th century – while in Europe, his works are largely unknown. Born in Szeged, Hungary, he learned his craft at the Technical University in Berlin and then moved to the USA in 1913 where he began working for such magazines as Vanity Fair, Vogue and Time. During his career, he photographed more than 350 famous figures and celebrities, such as Frida Kahlo, Claude Monet, Ingrid Bergmann, Jean Cocteau, Greta Garbo and Humphrey Bogart. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death, the Kunstmuseum Moritzburg presented a retrospective of his oeuvre in Germany for the first time ever – including numerous works which many today consider iconic of that period. It was coordinated in transnational cooperation and kicked off a series of special exhibitions of international photographers, which the Kunstmuseum Moritzburg wishes to present more intensively in light of its collection focus of over 60,000 photographic works. The accompanying exhibition catalogue is the first German-language publication on Muray’s works.

Artistic director: Thomas Bauer-Friedrich
Curator: Salomon Grimberg (US)
Artist: Nickolas Muray (US)