An André de Dienes photo of Marilyn at Tobay Beach, NY in 1949 is featured in American, Born Hungary, a new exhibition at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, exploring the Hungarian influence on American photography. (Nickolas Muray and Cornell Capa, brother of Robert Capa, were among Marilyn’s other Hungarian photographers.)
“American, born Hungary follows a remarkable number of émigrés and exiles from Hungary to Berlin and Paris and then on to New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where they reinvented themselves and American photography. This exhibition is the first full examination of their circuitous journeys to the United States—in the aftermaths of two world wars and Hungary’s student-led revolt in 1956—and the wondrous artistic legacy that developed along the way.
Providing a missing chapter in art history, the exhibition’s focus is the astounding impact of Hungarian-born artists on photography in the United States, especially in urban centres. Highlights include photos by Moholy-Nagy, whose avant-garde beginnings in Dessau, Germany, inspired a ‘New Bauhaus’ that sought to establish the Windy City as a design incubator; work by tailor and photographer John Albok, whose photographs were praised by the New York Times; and André de Dienes, whose portraits of cinema’s icons, including Marilyn Monroe, helped fuel Hollywood’s Golden Age.”
“For proof of the collective talent on display, look no further than André de Dienes’ portrait of Marilyn Monroe from 1949. Do you know how hard it is to photograph Marilyn Monroe? … There seems to be a dreamlike quality across all these photographs. Coming to America from Hungary back then probably did feel like entering a dream, with plenty of skyscrapers and Marilyn Monroe to go around.” – Dan Duray, Observer
The Marilyn Report 