Photography at MoMA Contributors Quentin Bajac is The Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz Chief Curator of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Museum of Modern Art draws upon the exceptional depth of its collection to tell a new history of photography in the three-volume series Photography at MoMA. Douglas Coupland is a Vancouver-based artist, writer, and cultural critic. The works in Photography at MoMA: 1920–1960 chart the explosive development Lucy Gallun is Assistant Curator in the Department of the medium during the height of the modernist period, as photography evolved of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art, from a tool of documentation and identification into one of tremendous variety. New York. The result was nothing less than a transformed rapport with the visible world: Roxana Marcoci is Senior Curator in the Department Walker Evans's documentary style and Dora Maar's Surrealist exercises in chance; of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art, El Lissitzky's photomontages and August Sander's unflinching objectivity; New York. the iconic news images published in the New York Times and Man Ray's darkroom experiments; Tina Modotti's socioartistic approach and anonymous snapshots Sarah Hermanson Meister is Curator in the Department of Photography at The Museum taken by amateur photographers all over the world. In eight chapters arranged of Modern Art, New York. by theme, this book presents more than two hundred artists, including Berenice Abbott, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Geraldo de Barros, Margaret Bourke-White, Kevin Moore is an independent curator, writer, Bill Brandt, Claude Cahun, Harry Callahan, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Roy DeCarava, and advisor in New York. Robert Frank, Germaine Krull, Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Drew Sawyer is the William J. and Sarah Ross Soter Alfred Stieglitz, Otto Steinert, and James Van Der Zee. Associate Curator of Photography at the Columbus Museum of Art. Pepper Stetler is Associate Professor of Art and Architecture History at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Cover: Ilse Bing American, born Germany, 1899–1998 Self-Portrait with Leica (Selbstporträt mit Leica). 1931 Gelatin silver print 10 ½ � 12 in. (26.8 � 30.8 cm) Joseph G. Mayer Fund, 1976 416 pp.; 533 color reproductions Published by The Museum of Modern Art 11 West 53 Street New York, NY 10019-5497 ISBN–13: 978–1–63345–013–4 www.moma.org Printed in Spain Photography at MoMA Edited by Quentin Bajac Lucy Gallun Roxana Marcoci Sarah Hermanson Meister 1920 1960 Contents Foreword American Modernism Glenn D. Lowry 1920 1940 9 Experiences with Reality Quentin Bajac 18 Modern Photography at MoMA Quentin Bajac 10 The New Photographer 1920 1940 The New Photographer: Propositions for the Future Roxana Marcoci 56 Surrealism and the Everyday 1920 1940 Photography between Reality and Dream Pepper Stetler 110 America and the Documentary Style 1930 1950 "This New Spirit of Realism" Drew Sawyer 158 Public Stories 1920 1960 The Best of Life Douglas Coupland 204 The Studio and the Snapshot 1920 1960 Control and Chaos and Points Between Kevin Moore 246 Subjective Experiments 1940 1960 A Subjective Eye: The Postwar Photographer′s Vision Lucy Gallun 298 Creative Photography 1940 1960 Modern at Midcentury Sarah Hermanson Meister 350 Index of Plates 408 Acknowledgments 412 Contributors 414 Trustees of The Museum of Modern Art 416 American The New Surrealism America and the Public Stories The Studio Subjective Creative Modernism Photographer and the Documentary Style and the Snapshot Experiments Photography Everyday 1920 1940 1920 1940 1920 1940 1930 1950 1920 1960 1920 1960 1940 1960 1940 1960 Ansel Adams Josef Albers Berenice Abbott Berenice Abbott Lucien Aigner Berenice Abbott Gertrudes Altschul Julio Agostinelli Imogen Cunningham Gertrud Arndt Marc Allégret Margaret Bourke-White Associated Press Rogi André Geraldo de Barros Lola Álvarez Bravo Tina Modotti Herbert Bayer Manuel Álvarez Bravo Rudy Burckhardt Dmitri Baltermants Richard Avedon Monika von Boch Emmy Andriesse Paul Outerbridge Aenne Biermann Eugène Atget Gordon Coster Margaret Bourke-White Ralph Bartholomew, Jr. Bill Brandt Claudia Andujar Eliot Porter Ilse Bing Johannes Baader Louise Dahl-Wolfe Anthony Camerano Bob Beerman Rudy Burckhardt Diane Arbus Sherril Schell Karl Blossfeldt Hans Bellmer Jack Delano Robert Capa H. H. Blakesly Harry Callahan Édouard Boubat Charles Sheeler Max Burchartz Mieczysław Berman Philip Elliott Henri Cartier-Bresson Martín Chambi Paul Caponigro Esther Bubley Frederick Sommer Paul Citroen Ilse Bing Walker Evans Héctor García Mike Disfarmer Walter Chappell Harry Callahan Edward Steichen Andreas Feininger Constantin Brâncuși Sid Grossman Jacob Gayer Harold E. Edgerton Chargesheimer Vivian Cherry Ralph Steiner T. Lux Feininger Bill Brandt Lewis W. Hine Tim Gidal W. Grancel Fitz Jay DeFeo Alfredo Cortina Alfred Stieglitz Werner David Feist Brassaï Dorothea Lange Arnold Hardy Philippe Halsman Maya Deren Ted Croner Paul Strand Jaromír Funke Francis Bruguière Clarence John Laughlin Roger Higgins William Klein Thomaz Farkas Bruce Davidson Doris Ulmann Raoul Hausmann Claude Cahun Russell Lee International News Photo Nina Leen Gaspar Gasparian Roy DeCarava Brett Weston Florence Henri Henri Cartier-Bresson Robert H. McNeill Keystone View Company George Platt Lynes Mario Giacomelli Robert Doisneau Edward Weston Hilde Hubbuch Horacio Coppola Lisette Model Dorothea Lange Adolf de Meyer Ernst Haas Ed van der Elsken Lotte Jacobi Joseph Cornell Wright Morris Enrique Metinides Arthur S. Mole and John D. Thomas Hiroshi Hamaya Elliott Erwitt Edmund Kesting Max Ernst Arthur Rothstein Gjon Mili Barbara Morgan Keld Helmer-Petersen Louis Faurer Germaine Krull John Gutmann Joseph Schwartz Charles Moore Nickolas Muray Eikoh Hosoe Robert Frank El Lissitzky Hannah Höch Peter Sekaer Martin Munkácsi Arnold Newman Institute of Design Photography Leonard Freed Man Ray André Kertész Ben Shahn New York Daily News Irving Penn Workshop Lee Friedlander Lucia Moholy Kurt Kranz Aaron Siskind The New York Times Edward Steichen György Kepes Marcel Giró László Moholy-Nagy Germaine Krull Ralph Steiner Herbert B. Nichols Joseph Steinmetz Clarence John Laughlin Dave Heath Walter A. Peterhans Dora Maar Luke Swank Gordon Parks Unknown photographers Nathan Lyons Yasuhiro Ishimoto Albert Renger-Patzsch Man Ray John Vachon Radio Corporation of America James Van Der Zee Sameer Makarius Simpson Kalisher ringl + pit Lee Miller Marion Post Wolcott Erich Salomon Man Ray Johan van der Keuken Aleksandr Rodchenko Lisette Model Robert F. Sargent Lennart Olson William Klein Franz Roh Toshiko Okanoue Ernie Sisto Rolf P. Petersen Paula Horn Kotis Hajo Rose Jaroslav Rössler J. C. P. Skottowe Marek Piasecki Saul Leiter Willi Ruge Grete Stern W. Eugene Smith Otto Piene Leon Levinstein August Sander Maurice Tabard George Tames Richard Pousette-Dart Helen Levitt Christian Schad Raoul Ubac Times Wide World Photos Robert Rauschenberg German Lorca Osamu Shiihara Unknown photographer U.S. Army Air Forces Ben Rose Ademar Manarini Jan Tschichold U.S. Army Signal Corps Bronisław Schlabs Roger Mayne Umbo U.S. Coast Guard Arthur Siegel Lisette Model Iwao Yamawaki Weegee Aaron Siskind Inge Morath Frederick Sommer Frank Paulin Otto Steinert Fred Stein Josef Sudek Saul Steinberg Val Telberg Paul Strand Edmund Teske Christer Strömholm Shōmei Tōmatsu John Szarkowski Susan Weil Todd Webb Minor White Dan Weiner Garry Winogrand Foreword I am delighted to present the second installment of without many dedicated individuals and entities. As a three-volume history of photography told through always, I extend my gratitude to the Museum’s Board the exceptional collection of The Museum of Modern of Trustees for their unfaltering support. I am deeply Art. This volume covers photography from 1920 to 1960, thankful to the Committee on Photography for their moving backward in time from the volume published generous facilitation of numerous acquisitions reproduced in 2015, which considered work from 1960 through the in this book, an eΩort tirelessly led by outstanding Chairs, present day. The final volume will begin with the invention including Robert B. Menschel, Peter Norton, Richard of the medium, in 1839, and cover the years up to 1920. E. Salomon, and, currently, David Dechman. Works Although the Museum’s publications on photography have also entered the collection through the aid of funds have been—and continue to be—acclaimed and popular, and groups a≈liated with the Museum, both past and we have never oΩered an in-depth examination of the present, in particular the Latin American and Caribbean photography collection. Only a small percentage of Fund and The Friends of Education of The Museum the collection’s more than thirty thousand photographs of Modern Art. Many individuals have supported can be on view at any given moment; this series brings acquisitions or have donated important works of art. into the discussion a wider array of ideas, tendencies, I especially thank Peter J. Cohen, Thomas and Susan and trajectories. Dunn, Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, Richard E. Salomon, The Museum’s holdings of modernist photography the family of August Sander, Jon L. Stryker, and Thomas are a trove of wonders, with iconic masterpieces and Walther for their significant recent contributions. little-known gems. When the Department of Photography I am profoundly grateful to Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz, was founded, in 1940—the first of its kind in the United whose ongoing commitment to this series underscores States—it was one of