Artwork Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Herbert Matter (1907-1984) |
Title |
Untitled Study of a Hand |
Medium |
Photograph |
Description |
A Swiss-born photographer and graphic designer known for his pioneering use of photomontage in commercial art, Herbert Matter studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Geneva and the Académie Moderne in Paris, where he was inspired by Man Ray's experimental photographic techniques. In 1929, as an assistant to A.M. Cassandre and Le Corbusier, he learned innovative approaches in typography and design. After returning to Switzerland he designed posters for the Office of Tourism. Matter moved to New York in 1936 and began working for commercial clients, including Harper's Bazaar and Saks Fifth Avenue. In 1939 he married the artist Mercedes Carles, a close friend of Lee Krasner, who later introduced the Matters to Jackson Pollock. The two couples spent much time together in New York City and East Hampton throughout the 1940s and early 1950s. This solarized print of Matter's hand was among a cache of his material stored in the Pollock-Krasner studio flat files, including partial layouts for posters and photographic proofs. The solarization effect was created by re-exposing the photographic paper during development in the darkroom. The purpose of this image is not known, as it is not among Matter's published or exhibited graphics. A torn piece of protective tracing paper bears his name and the address of his Manhattan studio. Gift of the Estate of Lee Krasner Pollock. |
Catalog Number |
1987.116.1 |
Object Name |
Painting |
Current Exhibition |
Crosscurrents: Selections from the Permanent Collection |