László Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) Untitled (Photogram), 1939 Unique large-format photogram on developing paper; flush-mounted to board, signed 'L. Moholy=Nagy', dated and annotated 'Chicago 1941, Nov 1', and inscribed 'to Richard Neutra with best greetings and great admiration' in ink on the reverse, framed. 19 7/8 x 16 in. (50.5 x 40.6 cm.) Footnotes: Provenance The photographer to architect Richard Neutra, 1941 Private Collection, Los Angeles Literature cf., Renate Heyne and Floris M. Neususs, eds., Moholy-Nagy: The Photograms Catalogue Raisonné (Ostfildern, 2009), nos. 380-385 Note Though he often represented himself as a painter, László Moholy-Nagy's (1895-1946) exploration of modernism sought an outlet in every creative format available to him. In his lifetime he was celebrated for his contributions not only to painting, but also design, sculpture, literature, education, and photography - the latter of which he practiced with great consistency throughout his entire career. Moholy-Nagy devoted himself to the exploration of space by seeking alternatives to traditional subject matter and vantage points in his photographs. In the early 1920s, these pursuits led him to his use of the photogram: a camera-less process by which the artist is able to manipulate light and form directly onto light-sensitive paper. Moholy-Nagy boldly classified himself as a 'light painter': no longer bound by the constraints of the rigid image, he aimed to convey modulating spatial tension by using an extraordinary array of objects, ephemera, and even body parts. Over the course of the subsequent decades, Moholy-Nagy honed this craft with both precision and fanaticism. In 1937, upon the recommendation of Walter Gropius, he relocated to Chicago to open The New Bauhaus (subsequently renamed the School of Design and finally, the Institute of Design), an institution for industrial design that embodied the same educational philosophies as its German namesake. A core tenet of Moholy-Nagy's teaching philosophy was the practical exercise, which encouraged his students to engage physically with an art form in order to understand the fundamentals of its materiality: in the case of photography, he required his pupils to execute a successful photogram, thus developing an innate understanding for the complexities the medium. Despite his demanding roles as both the full-time director as well as professor at The New Bauhaus, Moholy-Nagy continued to allocate considerable time to his personal artistic pursuits. The impressive, unique object offered here is one from a series of nine known oversized photograms by Moholy-Nagy made in Chicago in 1939. Each photogram in this series features the same round wire gauge: a metal implement with a constellation of holes, used to read the width of a wire for the purposes of proper electrical installation. The present example - on warm, matte developing paper which Moholy-Nagy flush-mounted to exhibition board - is one of the most dynamic examples from this series. The wire gauge occupies the center of the composition, ensconced in the hemispherical arms of arching wire forms that recede from the viewer in subtle tonal transitions; an implied depth created by implementing a more intense light exposure than is present in other examples from the series. Moholy-Nagy's employment of spatial economy is particularly evident in the final element, a thin, continuous line which sweeps across the negative space spanning nearly the entire left and lower halves of the work. Its inclusion visualizes Moholy-Nagy's nuanced understanding and creation of three-dimensional space within the two-dimensional plane of the photographic paper. According to the inscription on the reverse of the mount, Moholy-Nagy gifted this photogram to architect Richard Neutra (1892-1970) in November 1941. The two men most likely met for the first time in 1930, during Neutra's visiting professorship at the Bauhaus, where he taught for two weeks while on a lecture tour for his then-recent publication 'Wie Baut Amerika' (How America Builds). The initial meeting and subsequent interactions between Moholy-Nagy and Neutra established a relationship of mutual respect and admiration. The dedication on the reverse of this photogram memorializes Neutra's visit to Moholy-Nagy in Chicago in the early 1940s. It reads: 'To Richard Neutra with best greetings and great admiration, L. Moholy=Nagy, Chicago 1941, Nov 1'. In turn, Moholy-Nagy visited Neutra in Los Angeles, where he was a guest at the architect's Van der Leeuw Research House, Neutra's home at the time. One anecdote recounts a day in April of 1939 when Neutra drove Moholy-Nagy to the Art Center School in Los Angeles, where the Bauhaus Master was to give a lecture on 'The New Vision'. Neutra was unable to find a parking space due to the popularity of the event and subsequently missed hearing his friend speak. At the time of this writing, nine prints from this series are known to exist, and only three have been offered at auction. Works from this series are in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York (326.1964); Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou (AM 1994-201); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2001.10); and the LaSalle Collection of Bank of America, Chicago. The present work has been reviewed by Renate Heyne, author of the Moholy-Nagy Catalogue Raisonné, and assigned catalog number fgm 430. Lot to be sold without reserve. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ¤ ¤ Unless indicated by the ¤ symbol next to the lot number (or bearing an explicit statement such as 'No Reserve' or 'Without Reserve'), which denotes no reserve, all lots in the catalog are subject to a reserve. The reserve is the minimum hammer price that the seller is willing to accept for a lot. This amount is confidential and does not exceed the low estimate value. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing