A Blindfold Chess Match Between Grandmaster George Koltanowski, Fredrick Kiesler, and Alfred Barr

Photography and Media

January 6, 1945

Artist unknown
(possibly Julien Levy, American, 1906–1981)

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Photography and Media

Artist: Anonymous
Title: A Blindfold Chess Match Between Grandmaster George Koltanowski, Fredrick Kiesler, and Alfred Barr
Place: United States (Artist's nationality)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1945
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Inscriptions: Unmarked recto; inscribed verso, upper center, in graphite: "back turned; / The professional / chess player / Bon [?] (who played / blindfolded)"; verso, center, in black ink: "46." [written over illegible number in blue ink]; verso, lower center, in graphite: "Fritzie Kiesler [illegible]"; verso, along bottom edge, in blue ink: "Blindfolded / chess match between ^ [below] grand master [above] George [illegible/crossed out] Koltanowski / (Back to camera) and Frederick Keisler ^ [below] (left) / Alfred Barr."
Dimensions: Image/paper: 10.2 × 10 cm (4 1/16 × 3 15/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Patricia and Frank Kolodny in memory of Julien Levy
Reference Number: 1990.565.35

Levy, Julien. 1977. “Memoir of an Art Gallery.” G. P. Putnam’s Sons. n.p. (cropped)

Columbus, Ohio, Wexner Center for the Arts, “Staging Surrealism: A Succession of Collections 2,” September 20, 1997–January 4, 1998.

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