Collection 1940s–1970s

409

Abstract Lens

Floor 4

MoMA

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Gertrudes Altschul. Untitled. c. 1952. Gelatin silver print, 11 5/8 × 15 9/16" (29.5 × 39.5 cm). Acquired through the generosity of Ian Cook. © 2019 Estate of Gertrudes Altschul
  • MoMA, Floor 4, 409 The David Geffen Wing

Playing with light, chemicals, exposures, and framing, the artists in this gallery investigated the experimental qualities of photography and film during the period following World War II. Many of them featured in international publications and shows—including at MoMA—that celebrated photography’s capacity for abstraction and expressive innovation. One such platform was Subjektive Fotografie (Subjective Photography), an influential touring exhibition series initiated by self-taught photographer Otto Steinert in Germany in the 1950s. The artists represented hailed from Germany, Brazil, Japan, Sweden, and the United States, among other places. Aiming to capture what Steinert called “the visual experience of [the] times,” these artists rejected “commonplace and merely ‘beautiful’ pictures . . . in favor of experiments and fresh solutions,” and explored a wide range of photographic approaches and processes.

60 works online

Artists

Installation images

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In 2018–19, MoMA collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab on a project using machine learning to identify artworks in installation photos. That project has concluded, and works are now being identified by MoMA staff.

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