E.J. BELLOCQ (1873–1949)

'Masks do not play a huge part in the collection because they actually reveal the eyes. But the ladies on these two pages are inscrutable. They have a wise and mocking presence, and seem to withhold information we seek. They have a magical, musing quality, a bewitching and amusing allure.
The Brassaï was an early acquisition, made many years ago. Photography exhibitions are everywhere now, but there was a time in New York when you could see everything photographic in a two-hour swing through Lee Witkin’s legendary and groundbreaking gallery, the Light and Marlborough galleries, the Museum of Modern Art and the ICP (International Center for Photography). I was always guided by instinct and gut but these places were my sources of visual education and enlightenment.
At the beginning I did not know other collectors or curators so you can imagine the sensation when I encountered a print of a photograph in my collection on the walls of MoMA. The impulse to collect never feels grounded in reason so this was an uncanny experience. It was an affirmation, or vindication, of my collecting adventure and quite an epiphany.' – W.M. Hunt