Spiraling Coil

Willy Kessels Belgian

Not on view

Trained as a sculptor, designer, and architectural draftsman, Kessels began making photographs in the mid-1920s. He first achieved recognition as a photographer with his inclusion in the First Photography International at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, in 1932. Kessels used the photogram process to create an abstract photographic image without a camera by placing objects directly onto photosensitized paper. While the resulting spiraling forms suggest the gears and chains of the machine age, the image also reflects the artistic investigation of pure form and celebrates the new, technologically mediated vision made possible by the photographic arts.

Spiraling Coil, Willy Kessels (Belgian, 1898–1974), Gelatin silver print

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.