Hisham Matar with Man Sleeping Along the Seine
British-Libyan writer Hisham Matar finds inspiration in Brassaï's photographic study of a man sleeping by the Seine.
Art critic Alastair Sooke, in the company of some of the leading creatives of our age, continues his deep dive into the stunning works in the Museum of Modern Art's collection, whilst exploring what it really means “to see” art.
Today's edition features Art critic Alastair Sooke, in the company of some of the leading creatives of our age, continues his deep dive into the stunning works in the Museum of Modern Art's collection, whilst exploring what it really means “to see” art.
Today's edition features Hisham Matar , the American-born British-Libyan writer whose memoir of the search for his father, The Return, won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. He has chosen a photograph by Hungarian–French photographer Brassaï, which is biographic in its own way, featuring a man sleeping by the River Seine, taken in 1932. What inspiration will the award-winning novelist take from this image?
Producer: Tom Alban
Main Image: Brassaï (Gyula Halász), Man Sleeping Along the Seine (Homme endormi au bord de la Seine),
1932. Gelatin silver print, 11 5/8 x 9 1/8" (29.6 x 23.2 cm). David H. McAlpin Fund, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2526.1967. © Estate Brassaï-RMN
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Episode 13: Man Sleeping Along the Seine (Homme endormi au bord de la Seine) by Brassaï (Gyula Halász) (1932)
Selected by Hisham Matar, the American born British-Libyan writer
Broadcasts
- Wed 30 Oct 2019 22:45BBC Radio 3
- Wed 3 Aug 2022 22:45BBC Radio 3
View the works of art
See all of the works from the Museum of Modern Art selected by guests in this series.
What did we find out when a cosmologist looked at Van Gogh’s The Starry Night?
How does scientist Janna Levin see Van Gogh's night sky, painted from inside an asylum?
Podcast
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The Way I See It
Leading creative thinkers choose an artwork from MoMA and talk about how it inspires them.
