György Zsilák arrived in the United States in 1964 to dazzle overseas audiences with his juggling feats. They met André Kertész on the streets of New York, who subsequently photographed the circus troupe’s rehearsals and performances on several occasions. Now on display for the first time in the PaperLab Gallery are the photographs donated to György Zsilák by the world-famous Hungarian photographer. The exhibition is part of the Hungarian Month of Photography 2022 programme.
In 2001, György Zsilák received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Jugglers Association, as well as a Jászai Mari Award and the Károly Hortobágy Prize. He and his wife were also awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary for their active years on the artistic circuit. Now on display for the first time in the PaperLab Gallery are the photographs donated to György Zsilák by the world-famous Hungarian photographer. Zsilák commented the following on the novel-like encounter:
“Kertész really enjoyed every moment of his first day at the circus, so we later got him a permanent pass, and he became part of the Hungarian team. A few days later he told us that in 1926 he had taken photos of circus acrobats in Paris. He showed us some of the photos, and he gave me copies. We would meet Kertész almost every day while we were in New York. He came to the rehearsals as if it were his workplace too, and we also met a lot outside of work. For instance, he invited me and my future wife, Zsuzsanna, to the Museum of Modern Art, where he took photos of us. A few days later he brought the prints. Later we went on to tour other US cities, and we would exchange postcards with him. A few years later, in a bookshop, I was leafing through André Kertész’s album, On Reading, when I came across a photo he took during our time in New York; it showed a colleague of mine, who was lying, in stage costume, on a bench in the dressing room.”
During the week that Zsilák and Kertész spent together, Kertész made a photography about one of György Zsilák’s colleague, which was included in Kertész’s album, titled „On Reading”. The colleague was lying, in stage costume, on a bench in the Circus’s dressing room. The album can be also viewed at the exhibition in the PaperLab Gallery, the exhibition is part of the Hungarian Month of Photography 2022 programme. The exhibition includes 12 pictures, two of them were taken in Paris in 1926, and the other photographs are made in New York, 1969. The exhibition also includes a postcard from 1969, written by Kertész, addressed to Zsilák, on the front Kertész’s iconic picture, the Satirical Dancer can be seen, which made in 1926.
More information here.
