Gertrudes Altschul: Filigree

Gertrudes Altschul (1904–1962) was a pioneer in the context of Brazilian modernist photography. Although she is quite admired in the photographic field in the country, her work is still known only in specialized circles, having been scarcely published and exhibited. Of Jewish origin, the artist migrated in 1939 from her hometown, Berlin, to Brazil with her husband, fleeing the Nazi regime. She settled in São Paulo, where she divided her time between photography and the production of flowers for hats in a factory run by the couple. Altschul was one of the few women to be part of the well-known Foto Cine Clube Bandeirante (FCCB) in São Paulo, an important group that brought together photographers aligned with modernist photography in Brazil. Her production sought to break with the classical principles of composition in photography through geometric constructions, both abstract and figurative, and experimenting with light, shadows, lines, rhythms, planes as well as processes of photo development and printing. This is the first book dedicated to Altschul’s work and accompanies the artist’s first museum exhibition—at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand. The publication reproduces all 70 of the artist’s known vintage prints, exploring her main themes: modern Brazilian architecture, botanical motifs, and still lifes. The volume includes seven newly commissioned texts written by Brazilian and US authors for this edition, and a selection of the artist’s archival material, such as contact sheets. This is an essential book for those who want to know the work of Gertrudes Altschul as well as those interested in modern photography.