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Looking at Photographs The photography exhibition that opened in Rooms 28 to 32 of the Winter Palace on June 21, celebrating the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, is a visual incarnation of the famous book by John Szarkowski, Director Emeritus of the Department of Photography at the New York Museum of Modern Art, which was first published in 1973. The 100 photographs in the book include the works of celebrated classics such as Timothy O’Sullivan and Lewis Hain along with unknown masters, creative photographs by Hill and Adamson, Stieglitz, and Steihen, as well as press, technical, and commercial photography. The exhibition has been sponsored by the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art, and organized by the same museum in collaboration with the State Hermitage and the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. The idea to host such an exhibition at the State Hermitage Museum was first conceived in 2001 as part of continuing and expanding the Hermitage’s long-term relationship with the Museum of Modern Art in New York. For the Russian exhibition, John Szarkowski has selected 25 photographs that, in his opinion, most vividly represent the thirty years of MoMA’s collection since his book was first published. The photography collection of the Museum of Modern Art is not conceptualized as a repository of undisputable masterworks; it’s more like a guide, providing a better insight into the achievements and possibilities of photography. The history of photography was made by both great masters, and regular photographers with moderate ambitions that sometimes came up with breakthrough discoveries. The latter photographers went down in history not because of their talent, but because of their number, prolific work and, sometimes, luck. |
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Copyright © 2011 State Hermitage Museum |
