Exhibition to Showcase the Work of Former Dior Fashion Photographer

An exhibition of the work of Wilhelm “Willy” Maywald (1907-1985), German photographer and former in-house photographer at Dior, will open on Thursday at the Virág Judit Gallery in Budapest.

The artist, best known for his portrait and fashion photography, was a “chronicler” of the cream of the Parisian art world, reads a statement by the Virág Judit Gallery.

The owner of the collection, André Balogh, became friends with Willy Maywald in Paris in the 1970s. The photographs in the exhibition are a tribute to such greats as French acting legend Jean Marais, Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning French actress Anouk Aimée, French writer Simone de Beauvoir, French painter Marc Chagall, French abstract painter Georges Mathieu, two-time Oscar-winning British actress Vivien Leigh and world-famous French architect Le Corbusier.

One of the most unique pieces in the collection is a photograph of Tamara Lempicka, a painter with Polish and Russian roots. Lempicka created a fashion with her extravagant looks, lifestyle and rebellious artwork, and today her collectors include Madonna, Jack Nicholson and Barbra Streisand.

The exhibition will also feature Hungarian artists, including József Csáky, a sculptor who worked in France.

Willy Maywald’s photographs are frequently featured in the auctions of the major auction houses. German-born Maywald lived in Paris, where he made a name for himself as a fashion photographer. As a distinguished, elite photographer for the fashion house Dior, he opened the doors to the world of the stars. He was close friends with Picasso and Tamara Lempicka, and his photos were on the cover of magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair.

Maywald was a romantic photographer who sought beauty in everything. The photographs reveal that he had a friendly relationship with his models, that these icons opened up to his camera and captured intimate moments like no other, the release reads.

The exhibition, open until February 22, will be free to visit and the photographs will be available for purchase for between HUF 120,000-480,000 (EUR 295-1,180).

In addition to the 60 Maywald photos, a special exhibition of Hungarian photographs will be on display at the Virág Judit Gallery. They depict some of the greatest Hungarian artists, from Mihály Munkácsy, Béla Czóbel, Margit Anna and Victor Vasarely to the best-known contemporary artists such as Ilona Keserü, István Nádler and Dóra Maurer.

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