← Library

Exhibition catalogue · Published

Hy Hirsh / Color Photographs

2008

This 2008 catalogue was instrumental in recovering Hy Hirsh's largely forgotten circa-1950 color abstractions including his pioneering oscilloscope-generated imagery. The vintage works it documents materially establish Hirsh's experiments at the very beginning of electronic abstract image-making and preserve the principal scholarly record of this little-known body of work.

Author / editor
Paul M. Hertzmann
Publisher
Paul M. Hertzmann, Inc.
San Francisco
Pages
28
Language
English

Key elements included in the catalogue:

  • Scholarly Essay: An introductory text by art historian Dennis Reed ("Hy Hirsh: Experiments in Filmmaking and Photography") exploring Hirsh’s shift from Group f64 "straight" photography to avant-garde visual music, experimental cinema, and electronic abstraction.
  • Plates & Inventory: Color reproductions of 21 rare, untitled vintage abstract chromogenic prints (ca. 1950, printed by Hirsh using the Ansco Printon process) using oscilloscopes.
  • Price List & Conditions of Sale: A formal inventory list of the individual original prints from Hirsh's estate which have found their way into museum holdings and private collections.
  • Chronology & Filmography: A timeline of Hirsh’s life, key film screenings, awards, and bibliography.

PDF document

Full catalogEnglish · 1.1 MB

Hersh Color Photographs Catalog, Paul M. Hertzmann, Inc., 2008