Maar, Dora (1907-1997)
Garçon avec un chat (Boy with a Cat)
1934
Gelatin silver print, 41.4 × 29 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
From 1930 to 1934 Maar turned her camera to the inhabitants of the streets of Paris and London, blending documentary and Surrealist modes. Her photographs often focus on socially marginal figures such as the poor or disabled, revealing her own political engagement. In this striking image, an adolescent with rumpled hair protectively grasps a cat to his chest, his gaze challenging Maar’s camera. The boy’s expression and posture imbue this chance encounter—and the composition—with an arresting psychological dimension. (MET)