Historical Photographer Presentation - Martin Munkacsi

Martin Munkacsi was born in Kolozsvar, Austro-Hungary on May 18, 1896. He worked as a newspaper writer and photographer in Hungary, specializing in sports. At the time, sports action photography could only be done in bright light outdoors. Munkácsi's innovation was to make sports photographs as meticulously composed action photographs, which required both artistic and technical skill.

Munkácsi's legendary big break was to happen upon a fatal brawl, which he photographed. Those photos affected the outcome of the trial of the accused killer, and gave Munkácsi considerable notoriety.

The speed of the modern age and the excitement of new photographic viewpoints enthralled him, especially flying.

On March 21, 1933, he photographed the fateful "Day of Potsdam", where the aged President Paul von Hindenburg handed Germany over to Adolf Hitler. He photographed Hitler's inner circle, ironically because he was a Jew and a foreigner.

In 1934, the Nazis nationalized the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, fired its Jewish editor-in-chief, Kurt Korff, and replaced its innovative photography with pictures of German troops.

Munkácsi left for New York, where he signed on with Harpers Weekly, and took several famous celebrity portraits.

Henri Cartier Bresson credited Munsacsi with sparking his interest in photography.

Munkacsi died July 13, 1963 in New York City.