The Hungarian-born photographer André Kertész met with great success in pre-World War II Paris. Recognized as a pioneer in small-format photography (using the newly introduced Leica camera) and a celebrated member of the milieu of Piet Mondrian, Fernand Léger, and Tristan Tzara, he was published in numerous magazines, including L'Art vivant, L'Image, Vogue, Paris Magazine, Neue Jugend, Münchner Illustrierte Presse, Uhu, The Sphere, and, most often, Vu. His work was influential on a subsequent generation of photographers practicing in Paris, including Man Ray, Brassai, Moholy Nagy, Berenice Abbott, and Cartier-Bresson.

Mondrian's Pipe and Glasses was taken in the studio of the painter in 1926 (the print dates from the 70s). Here, as in many works, Kertész elevates everyday objects into elegant formal compositions which seem to suggest meaning far beyond their parts.

The image was included in Kertész's first exhibition of work–at the avant garde gallery Au Sacre du Printemps, Paris–in March of 1927. His work was also included in the pivotal "Film und Foto" exhibition of 1929.

In 1936 Kertész moved to New York to fulfill a one-year contract with the Keystone photo agency. Still there, three years later he created Melancholy Tulip, which draws on the series Distortions (nude figures photographed in "funhouse" mirrors) from 1933. With the war approaching, Kertész was classified as an "enemy alien" in 1941 because of his nationality. He obtained US citizenship in 1944 and remained in the States until his death. Although he had many commercial contracts, Kertész was unable to rebuild the artistic community he had left behind in Paris. The fact that he also left his archive of negatives behind contributed to his feelings of isolation and discontent. In 1963 he recovered the negatives, which had been hidden in a chateau in the south of France during the WWII. A 1964 exhibition, organized by John Szarkowski at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, helped to reestablish his international recognition.

The images in the Bell Gallery collection were given by Drayton Grant and Wayne Baden.