László Kondor: A Leica on the Frontline
A master exhibition of Hungarian-born photographer, László Kondor, photographer in the Vietnam War, opened on January 31st at the Kolta Gallery of Budapest.
The Leica on the Frontline exhibition looks at Kondor’s response to the conflicts he witnessed.
The trilogy of analog black and white images was created in the late 1900s. The point of departure begins with a selection of work as a photojournalist in 1968 Chicago – “ The Whole World is Watching”.
A counter-reaction is the work as a combat photographer in 1969 -1971 Vietnam – ‘Boots on the Ground.’ The finale – ‘Life Goes On’ includes images that reflect reality, lyrically with empathy and sensitivity for the Vietnamese civilians caught up in the conflict, such as the iconic image ‘Saigon Street Orphan 1970.’ The exhibition’s 70 works include 20 from the permanent collection of the NVAM, National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago.
The exhibition will run until March 6th, and in September 2020 it will travel to the NVAM in Chicago with a corresponding documentary film – ‘Out of a Darkroom, the Life of Kondor Laszlo’ by Endre Dózsa and the publication, ‘Kondor Laszlo, as I Saw It – Vietnam Era,’ edited by Máté Havasi.
About the author
Hungarian-born photographer Kondor László, having lived in the United States for the latter half of the 20th century, returned to Hungary after the fall of the Iron Curtain – is now 78.
He has spent much of his professional life documenting world events from the US Vietnam War with its inevitable anti-war violence on the streets, to the political halls of Chicago‘s Mayor Richard J. Daley (1902-1976). Not a stranger to conflict, Kondor survived and fled the 1956 Hungarian revolution.
