10 intimate images of a lost, decadent 1930s Paris

8. Kiki de Montparnasse with her Friends Thérèse Treize de Caro and Lily (Kiki de Montparnasse avec ses amies Thérèse Treize de Caro et Lily (c 1932))

Estate Brassai/ Succession Philippe Ribeyrolles copy

At the same time that Brassaï was exploring Paris’s underworld he was also hanging out in bohemian artistic circles. “What makes Brassaï unique is his ability to move effortlessly from the slums to the most exclusive salons of Paris while rubbing shoulders with the artistic elite,” says Ribeyrolles. Seen here, reclining on the sofa in a chequered dress, is Kiki de Montparnasse, a painter, singer, cabaret artist, and legendary figure in the Parisian avant-garde. A one-time lover of Man Ray, she was the model for many of his most iconic works including Le Violon d’Ingres. 

9. Magic-City Dance Hall, Rue de l’Université (Bal au Magic-City, rue de l’Université (1931))

Estate Brassai/ Succession Philippe Ribeyrolles copy

Some of Brassaï’s most evocative photographs are of the drag balls which took place twice a year on the eve of Shrove Tuesday and the third Thursday in Lent, known as Mi-Carême (mid-Lent), at the Magic-City Dance Hall. For these occasions, the police prefecture gave special permission for men to dress in drag as part of the carnival tradition of reversing hierarchies of class or gender identity. Although dressing in drag was not actually prohibited at other times, men dancing together when dressed in feminine attire was. Ribeyrolles tells the BBC that Brassaï’ was introduced to the Magic City community by a figure known as Antoine, the King of Hairdressers. The password “Friend” guaranteed entry.

10. A Two-in-One Suit, the Magic-City Dance Hall (Un costume pour deux, bal du Magic-City (1931))

Estate Brassai/ Succession Philippe Ribeyrolles copy

Not all sections of society were as open-minded as Brassaï. In 1934 the Mi-Carême ball was prohibited after pressure from the far-right groups Action Française and La Liberté. Although it returned in the late 1930s it was generally considered to be a more subdued affair than in its heyday. Post-war Paris would prove to be more strait-laced. Although it would be tempting to see Brassaï’s work as a conscious attempt to document an era on the brink of oblivion, Ribeyrolles thinks that is missing the point. “His images are not so much a premeditated act of preservation as the testimony of a fascination with people passing by, fleeting moments, and changing atmospheres. It is this attentiveness that gives his photographs a retrospectively melancholic dimension, as if they unknowingly carried within them the memory of a world destined to disappear.”

Brassai: The Secret Signs of Paris is at Moderna Museet in Stockholm until 4 September.

—

If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can’t-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week. 

For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.