RICHTER, HANS. (1888-1976). German-American Dada painter, graphic artist, film producer and art historian. Five original photographs related to his chess film Passionate Pastime (aka Chesscetera). The photographs were taken by Arnold Eagle (1909-1992), are black-and-white and measure 8”x10” unless otherwise noted. Richter sent these images to his journalist friend, Léo Sauvage (1913-1988), who occasionally promoted Richter’s productions via articles in various publications.

Hans Richter, born in Berlin, Germany, became one of the principal figures of avant-garde art in the 1910s and 1920s. As an art historian and pioneer of Surrealism and Dadaism (sometimes called an art movement but more accurately an anti-art movement), he was a major influence on artists in many disciplines. He is now best known for his groundbreaking surrealistic films Dreams That Money Can Buy (1947) and 8x8: A Chess Sonata in Eight Movements (1957). Richter immigrated to New York City in 1940 at age 52, and in 1943 became a professor and the director of the Institute of Film Techniques at New York’s City College, a position he held for 13 years. In 1956, Richter turned to teaching documentary filmmaking, and in 1962, he retired and moved to Locarno, Switzerland.

The 28-minute Passionate Pastime (1958), with a music soundtrack by Darius Milhaud, offers a perspective on the influence that the game of chess had on Marcel Duchamp’s thought and artistic practice. It deliberately adopts a documentary and educational form, with a voice-over of actor Vincent Price, and retraces the history of chess using art.

Darius Milhaud (1892-1974). French composer, conductor and teacher, and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. He was known especially for his development of polytonality (simultaneous use of different keys), and his jazz and Brazilian music-influenced compositions. Three photos with a chessboard on a music stand: 1. Darius Milhaud and Mrs. Madeline Milhaud (7½”x9½”). 2. Milhaud half-wearing a mask (7½”x6¾”). 3. Milhaud fully wearing the mask (6¼”x3¾”).

Larry Evans (1932-2010). American chess player, author and journalist, recipient of the title of Grandmaster, from the International Chess Federation in 1957. He also won or shared the U.S. Chess Championship five times and the U.S. Open Chess Championship four times. Two photos, in which Evans plays chess with Hans Richter and Marcel Duchamp, while sitting in a lake in Southbury, CT. 1. Evans considering a move by Duchamp. 2. Evans, Richter and Duchamp sharing a drink during their game in the lake.

Hungarian-American photographer Arnold Eagle was also known for his socially concerned documentary photographs of the 1930s and 40s. Eagle’s projects included One Third of a Nation, depicting slum conditions in New York City, and photo series on the Orthodox Jewish community of Manhattan’s Lower East Side and the vanishing elevated subway trains. He also photographed the Martha Graham Dance Company and taught filmmaking for more than three decades at the New School for Social Research.

For 25 years, Léo Sauvage, the New York foreign correspondent for the Paris daily newspaper Le Figaro, reported under the byline “New York: Léo Sauvage” to French readers on U.S. news, political and cultural events, reviewed plays and interviewed celebrities in all fields. He was also the author of nine books, the best-known of which are The Oswald Affair (1966), about the JFK assassination, and L’Affaire Lumière (1985), about Georges Méliès and the origins of cinema.

In overall fine condition.