Leica M2 black paint 'Ole Brask'

An exceptional, beautiful black paint Leica M2, owned and used by Danish photographer Ole Brask (1935-2009), who specialized in Jazz photography. The camera shows a beautiful patina of years of professional use, with distinctive brassing and tiny bubbles appearing in the paint. It comes with matching, black paint Leicavit MP, 8-element Summicron 2/35mm no.1971835 (infinity lock and a ring near the mount in black paint, good optics with minimal spots inside, matching black paint cap). The camera was delivered to Copenhagen on 07.06.1960. The lot also includes two winder cranks for the camera, a leather case for the outfit, other accessories owned by the photographer, as well as two books: Ole Brask '...Photographs Jazz' (signed) and 'Jazz People' - both in excellent condition.

Ole Brask was a Danish photographer who specialized in jazz photography. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1935. Brask moved to New York in 1959 and began his career as a photographer in the early 1960s. He was freelancing for Richard Avedon, Eric Hartmann
& Yasuhiro Wakabayashi (Hiro), also doing photography for Newsweek, Times,
Paris Match, Look, Magnum & Columbia Records. Brask quickly became known for his evocative and sensitive images of jazz musicians. He photographed many of the leading jazz musicians of his day, including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Thelonious Monk.
Brask's photographs are characterized by their use of natural light and their emphasis on the human element. He often photographed musicians in their natural settings, such as in their homes or at rehearsal studios. This gave his photographs a sense of intimacy and authenticity.
Brask's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. He published two books of his photographs, Jazz People (1976) and Ole Brask Photographs Jazz (1995). Brask died in Copenhagen in 2009.
Brask's work is highly regarded by jazz fans and photographers alike. His photographs are a valuable record of the jazz scene in the 1960s and 1970s, and they continue to inspire and amaze viewers today.