Self-Portrait as Woman

1918

Meets Erzsebet Salomon

With peace in 1918 he returns to the stock exchange, where he meets his future wife Erzsebet Salomon (later Elizabeth Saly), who also works there, and begins to pursue her romantically; throughout his whole career he uses Elizabeth as a model for his photographs.

1923

Turns down a silver medal over the bromoil process

The Hungarian Amateur Photographer’s Association selects one of his photographs for its silver award on condition that he print it by the bromoil process; Kertész dislikes this, turns down the medal and is given a diploma from the association instead.

1925

Moves to Paris against his family’s wishes

He leaves for Paris, then the artistic capital of the world, against his family’s wishes, leaving behind his mother, his unofficial fiancée Elizabeth, both brothers and his uncle Hoffmann, who dies shortly afterward; Jenő later emigrates to Argentina. Soon after arriving he changes his first name from Andor to André, which he keeps for the rest of his life; at first he takes commissions from several European magazines, in Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain, and then works for VU, France’s first illustrated magazine.

1927

His first solo exhibition at the Au Sacre du Printemps gallery

Jan Slivinsky presents 30 of his photographs at the “Sacre du Printemps Gallery”, and Kertész becomes the first photographer to have a one-man exhibition. At the show Paul Dermée dubs him “Brother Seer” and “Brother Seeing Eye”, alluding to a medieval monastery where all the monks were blind but one; Kertész has become connected with members of the growing Dada movement.

1928

Switches to a Leica

He switches from plate-glass cameras to a Leica; this period is one of his most productive, with daily photographing divided between magazine commissions through the late 1920s and his personal pieces.

1931

Elizabeth joins him in Paris

He had gone back to Hungary in 1930 to visit his family, and after his return to Paris Elizabeth follows him in 1931, despite opposition from her family; she had stayed behind until her future husband was well enough established in Paris for them to marry. Elizabeth and André remain together for the rest of their lives.