François Kollar: A Working Eye

François Kollar (1904 – 1979), a French photographer of Slovak origin, was a famous representative of the New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) movement and a significant fashion and advertising photographer.

This monographic exhibition dedicated to his life and work and prepared in cooperation with Jeu de Paume, the prestigious photographic gallery in Paris, will present approximately 130 original photographs from museum collections and the artist’s estate. Several of them have never been exhibited before.
The exhibition’s first section will be dedicated to Kollar’s early advertising, fashion and industry work. The main section will present his largest photographic project entitled La France travail (Working France) which was implemented from 1931 to 1934. The main theme was the working man and forms of work in France. The exhibition’s last section features Kollar’s photographs after World War II when he became a sought after portraitist in French society, while continuing to do reportages related to industry and work, particularly in Western Africa.

This exhibition is organized by Jeu de Paume, Paris, in collaboration with Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine and with the participation of the Slovak National Gallery for the presentation in Bratislava.