18 original signed photographic portraits of women taken in the late 1930s
18 original photos, all mounted, mostly signed, some titled and dated as well, if not on the front then on their versos. Size of the photos range from 8x10 to well over 12 inches tall. All the mounts have some wear to their edges, tanning and soil; the photos are mainly very good but several have light wear, spottiness, small abrasions and freckles. Alemany was clearly interested in how photographs could convey the nuances of psychological states of mind. From various websites, we have found the following biographical information about Alemany: "After previously residing in San Francisco and in New York, Alemany married High Costen, and in 1926 they settled in Pittsburgh. Alemany became a professor of modern languages and sociology at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. Focused on photography since the early 1930's, Alemany participated in the Second House Miniature Hall of Philadelphia in 1935 . His work was selected in various competitions and exhibitions of Camera Club of America. Between 1936 and 1939 he focused on photography exhibits in salons in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Minneapolis. He is included in the book "Who's Who in the World Pictorial Photography". In 1938 he traveled to France to coincide with the first International Exhibition of Surrealism in Paris. From his university education, Alemany knew the movement and the work of Sigmund Freud, but it wasn't until after 1939 that his work took on a more surreal look. His works were selected for national and international exhibitions in such places as Antwerp, Copenhagen, Boston and Philadelphia. He spent summers in Provincetown, reflecting the landscape of dunes, sand and water. He died prematurely in 1951 in Provincetown." (citation: Worthpoint). From the Robert Tat Gallery in San Francisco: "Alemany was a Pittsburgh salon photographer with connections to the Spanish leftists in the 1930s. He photographed many key artists of the day, although his own salon images were often surrealistic and experimental, many made during his summers spent in Provincetown, MA." A retrospective of his photography was exhibited at La Fundacion 'Caixa' in Madrid in 2004 and a catalogue was published: 'José Alemany: memoria y olvido, 1895 - 1915.'. Item #H10550
Price: $1,000.00