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Brassaï (1899-1984) is one of the great figures of twentieth-century photography. Born in Brasso, Hungary, he studied at the academies of Budapest before moving to Paris in 1924. Initially interested in painting, he turned to photography in the early thirties at the suggestion of fellow Hungarian André Kertész. He published his first book, Paris by Night, in 1933, which granted him recognition as a peerless chronicler of the city. At this time Brassaï also became interested in graffiti and shared his discoveries with the Surrealist circles he frequented. Actively pursued throughout his career, his work on graffiti was brought together for the first time in the eponymous publication in 1960, following exhibitions of his work in New York, London, Milan, Baden, Frankfurt, Hanover and Paris.