Front / Recto
- Title Untitled (Portrait of László Moholy-Nagy)
- Negative Date 1925
- Print Date 1925
- Medium Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions Image 3 11/16 x 2 1/2" (9.3 x 6.3 cm)
- Place Taken Dessau
- Credit Line Thomas Walther Collection. The Family of Man Fund
- MoMA Accession Number 1791.2001
- Copyright © 2015 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Back / Verso
- Mount Type No mount
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Provenance
The artists. Galerie Rudolf Kicken, Cologne, by 1994 [1]; purchased by Thomas Walther, May 12, 1995 [2]; purchased by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2001.
[1] MacGill/Walther 2000, p. 25; MacGill/Walther 2000(2), p. 37; and Ina Schmidt-Runke (Kicken Berlin), e-mail to Maria Morris Hambourg, November 13, 2013. This print may have been jointly acquired by Galerie Rudolf Kicken and Alain Paviot, though Paviot does not recall it.
[2] MacGill/Walther 2000(2), p. 37; and Galerie Rudolf Kicken invoice no. 512, May 12, 1995.
Surface
- Surface Sheen Semireflective
- Techniques Retouching (additive) Contact print
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PTM
View of the recto of the artwork made using reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) software, which exaggerates subtle surface details and renders the features of the artwork plainly visible. Department of Conservation, MoMA -
Micro-raking
Raking-light close-up image, as shot. Area of detail is 6.7 x 6.7 mm. Department of Conservation, MoMA
Raking-light close-up image, processed. Processing included removal of color, equalization of the histogram, and sharpening, all designed to enhance visual comparison. Department of Conservation, MoMA
Paper Material
- Format Metric
- UV Fluorescence Recto negative Verso negative
- Fiber Analysis Softwood bleached sulfite 47% Hardwood bleached sulfite 1% Rag 48% Bast 4%
- Material Techniques Developing-out paper
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XRF
This work was determined to be a gelatin silver printvia X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry.
The following elements have been positively identified in the work, through XRF readings taken from its recto and verso (or from the mount, where the verso was not accessible):
- Recto: P, S, Ca, Zn, Br, Sr, Ag, Ba
- Mount: Si, Ca, Ti, Fe, Zn, Br
The graphs below show XRF spectra for three areas on the print: two of the recto—from areas of maximum and minimum image density (Dmax and Dmin)—and one of the verso or mount. The background spectrum represents the contribution of the XRF instrument itself. The first graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the lower energy range (0 to 8 keV). The second graph shows elements identified through the presence of their characteristic peaks in the higher energy range (8 to 40 keV).
Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Si, P, S, Ca, Ti, Ag, Ba
Areas examined: Recto (Dmax: black; Dmin: green), Verso or Mount (blue), Background (red)
Elements identified: Fe, Zn, Br, Sr, Ag
In Context
Related Images
László Moholy-Nagy. The Law of Series. 1925. Gelatin silver print, 8 7/16 x 6 7/16" (21.4 x 16.3 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Anonymous gift. © 2014 Lucia Moholy Estate/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Related People
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Artist
Related Links
- Schools Bauhaus, 1919–33
