Photography at MoMA：1920 to 1960

AnepicdiveintomodernistphotographybythemuseumthathelpedshapeitshistoryThehistoryofphotographyhasbeentoldmanytimes,butneverbeforethroughtheincomparablecollectionofphotographsatTheMuseumofModernArt.AsthesecondvolumeinasetofthreebooksthattogetherpresentanewandcomprehensivehistoryofphotographythroughworksfromMoMA’scollection,thispublicationchartsthemediumduringtheheightofthemodernistperiod,from1920to1960.Onlyoneothervolume--LookingatPhotographs,publishedin1973--highlightsthephotographictreasuresofMoMA’scollection;neitherBeaumontNewhall’sclassicHistoryofPhotographynorJohnSzarkowski’sPhotographyUntilNowusedtheMuseumcollectionasaspringboardtoapproachphotography’sdistinctivehistory.TheMuseum’ssignificantroleinthedevelopmentofthishistory,andintheconstructionofacanonthatchampionedphotographyasanartform(butalsoeclipsedcertainalternativeorunfamiliarpractices)requiresareconsideredhistoryforthe21stcentury.Thispublicationoffersafreshcriticallensthroughwhichtoappreciateworksofexceptionalsignificance,surpriseandinfluence,encouragingcreativenewreadings.Thebookbeginswithanin-depthintroductionfollowedbyeightchaptersoffull-colorplates,eachintroducedbyashortessay.MasterworksbyphotographerssuchasAlfredStieglitz,DorotheaLange,ManRayandAleksanderRodchenkoappearalongsidelesser-knowngems,anddiversenotionsofmodernismenrichclassicinterpretations,sothatthebeautifulfictionsandmessyrealitiesofphotographyarecomplicated,refreshedand,aboveall,enjoyed.