Philippe Halsman: The French Crate

The first publication of rediscovered work by legendary photographer Philippe Halsman, capturing both the development of his style and life in 1930s Paris.

Philippe Halsman fled Paris for New York in 1940, taking with him only his camera and twelve prints. Having relocated to America, Halsman enjoyed significant artistic and commercial success. As well as taking iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Einstein, and collaborating with Dalí for 37 years, he also photographed 101 LIFE Magazine covers, which remains an unbeaten record.

After the war ended, a crate of his glass plates was returned to him, and subsequently forgotten until its recent re-discovery by his grandson, Oliver. The French Crate is not merely a collection of lost works, but a record of an artist and city on the cusp of change. Offering a rare glimpse into Halsman's early style, it reveals an artist exploring the medium of photography and developing his own visual language.

Emphasizing the tactile nature of a photographer's tools and materials, The French Crate is a testament to the alchemical—almost magical—nature of analogue photography, and provides a pointed reminder of what is lost in our digital age.