Exhibition dates: 8th February – 5th October 2014
The Edward Steichen Photography Galleries, third floor
Curators: Organized by Quentin Bajac, The Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz Chief Curator, with Lucy Gallun, Assistant Curator, Department of Photography
Many thankx to MoMA for allowing me to publish four of the photographs in the posting. The rest of the images were sourced from the Internet in order to give the reader a more comprehensive understanding of what this exhibition is actually about – especially if you are thousands of miles away and have no hope of ever seeing it!
Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.
The exhibition is divided into 6 themes each with its own gallery space:
1. Surveying the Studio
2. The Studio as Stage
3. The Studio as Set
4. A Neutral Space
5. Virtual Spaces
6. The Studio, from Laboratory to Playground
A Neutral Space
Harry Callahan (American, 1912–1999)
Eleanor
1948
Gelatin silver print
4 1/2 x 3 1/4″ (11.4 x 8.3 cm)
Gift of the artist
Imogen Cunningham (American, 1883-1976)
Cala Leaves
1932
Gelatin silver print
9 9/16 x 7 9/16″ (24.3 x 19.2 cm)
Gift of Paul F. Walter
Richard Avedon (American, 1923-2004)
Carl Hoefert, unemployed blackjack dealer, Reno, Nevada, from the series In the American West
August 30, 1983
Gelatin silver print, printed 1985
47 1/2 x 37 1/2″ (120.6 x 95.2 cm)
Gift of the artist
Peter Hujar (American, 1934-1987)
David Wojnarowicz
1981
Gelatin silver print
14 x 14″ (35.6 x 35.6 cm)
The Fellows of Photography Fund
Peter Hujar (American, 1934-1987)
Pascal (Paris)
1980
Gelatin silver print
14 5/8 x 14 11/16″ (37.1 x 37.3 cm)
Gift of David Wojnarowicz
Valérie Belin (French, born 1964)
Untitled from the series Mannequins
2003
Gelatin silver print
61 x 49″ (154.9 x 124.5 cm)
Purchase
Laurie Simmons (American, born 1949)
Allan McCollum (American, born 1944)
Untitled from the series Actual Photos
1985
Silver dye bleach print
9 5/16 x 6 5/16″ (23.7 x 16.1 cm)
Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz Fund
Josephine Meckseper (German, born 1964)
Blow-Up (Michelli, Knee-Highs)
2006
Chromogenic color print
78 5/8 x 62 5/8″ (199.7 x 159.1 cm)
Fund for the Twenty-First Century
Virtual Spaces
Christian Marclay (American and Swiss, born 1955)
Allover (Genesis, Travis Tritt, and Others)
2008
Cyanotype
Composition and sheet: 51 1/2 x 97 3/4″ (130.8 x 248.3 cm)
Publisher and printer: Graphicstudio, University of South Florida, Tampa
Acquired through the generosity of Steven A. and Alexandra M. Cohen
Thomas Ruff (German, born 1958)
phg.06
2012
Chromogenic color print
100 3/8 x 72 13/16″ (255 x 185 cm)
Courtesy David Zwirner, New York/ London
Man Ray (American, 1890-1976)
Rayograph
1923
Gelatin silver print
9 7/16 x 7″ (23.9 x 17.8 cm)
Purchase
György Kepes (American, born Hungary. 1906-2001)
Abstraction – Surface Tension #2
c. 1940
Gelatin silver print
14 x 11 1/8″ (35.6 x 28.3 cm)
Gift of the artist
The Studio, from Laboratory to Playground
Barbara Morgan (American, 1900-1992)
Pure Energy and Neurotic Man
1941
Gelatin silver print, printed 1971
19 1/8 x 15 1/2″ (48.6 x 39.3 cm)
Gift of the artist
Barbara Morgan (American, 1900-1992)
Cadenza
1940
Gelatin silver print, printed 1971
17 7/8 x 15″ (45.4 x 38.2 cm)
Gift of the artist
Berenice Abbott (American, 1898-1991)
Focusing Water Waves, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1958-61
Gelatin silver print
6 9/16 x 7 15/16″ (16.7 x 20.1 cm)
Gift of Ronald A. Kurtz
Berenice Abbott (American, 1898-1991)
Wave Pattern with Glass Plate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1958-61
Gelatin silver print
6 9/16 x 7 9/16″ (16.7 x 19.2 cm)
Gift of Ronald A. Kurtz
Heinz Hajek-Halke (German, 1898-1983)
Embrace (Umarmung)
1947-51
Gelatin silver print
15 5/8 x 11 3/8″ (39.7 x 29.0 cm)
Gift of the artist
Harold Edgerton (American, 1903-1990)
Lead Falling in a Shot Tower
1936
Gelatin silver print
7 9/16 x 9 1/2″ (19.3 x 24.2 cm)
Gift of Gus and Arlette Kayafas
Harold Edgerton (American, 1903-1990)
Bouncing Ball Bearing
1962
Gelatin silver print
9 9/16 x 7 11/16″ (24.3 x 19.5 cm)
Gift of Gus and Arlette Kayafas
Harold Edgerton (American, 1903-1990)
This is Coffee
1933
Gelatin silver print
9 7/8 x 12 7/8″ (25.1 x 32.7 cm)
Gift of the artist
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Sand Curtain (Sandvorhang)
1983
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Sand Stairs (Sandtreppe)
1975
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Rubber Motor (Gummimotor)
1983
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Sand Cone (Sandkegel)
1984
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Sand Pillar (Sandturm)
1987
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Sand (Sand)
1988
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Umbrella (Schirm)
1989
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Barrel (Fass)
1985
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Carriage (Wagen)
1982
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (Swiss, born 1938)
Tube (Schlauch)
1982
Super 8 film transferred to video (color, silent)
Approximately 2 min.
Committee on Media Funds
Roman Signer (b. 1938 in Appenzell, Switzerland) is principally a visual artist who works in sculpture, installations photography, and video. Signer’s work has grown out of, and has affinities with both land art and performance art, but they are not typically representative of either category.It is often being described as following the tradition of the Swiss engineer-artist, such as Jean Tinguely and Peter Fischli & David Weiss.
Signer’s “action sculptures” involve setting up, carrying out, and recording “experiments” or events that bear aesthetic results. Day-to-day objects such as umbrellas, tables, boots, containers, hats and bicycles are part of Signer’s working vocabulary. Following carefully planned and strictly executed and documented procedures, the artist enacts and records such acts as explosions, collisions, and the projection of objects through space. Signer advocates ‘controlled destruction, not destruction for its own sake’. Action Kurhaus Weissbad (1992) saw chairs catapulted out of a hotel’s windows; Table (1994) launched a table into the sea on four buckets; Kayak (2000) featured the artist being towed down a road in a canoe. In documenta 8 (1987), he catapulted thousands of sheets of paper into the air to create an ephemeral wall in the room for a brief, but all the more intense moment. As the Swiss representative at the Venice Biennale in 1999, he made 117 steel balls fall from the ceiling on to lumps of clay lying on the ground. Many of his happenings are not for public viewing, and are only documented in photos and film. Video works like Stiefel mit Rakete (Boot with Rocket) are integral to Signer’s performances, capturing the original setup of materials that self-destruct in the process of creating an emotionally and visually compelling event. (Text from Wikipedia website)
Kiki Smith (American, born Germany 1954)
My Secret Business
1993
Lithograph
23 9/16 • 18 1/8″ (59.8 • 46 cm)
Gift of Howard B. Johnson
Adrian Piper (American, born 1948)
Food for the Spirit #2
1971, printed 1997
Gelatin silver print
14 9/16 x 15″ (37 x 38.1 cm)
The Family of Man Fund
Adrian Piper (American, born 1948)
Food for the Spirit #8
1971, printed 1997
Gelatin silver print
14 9/16 x 14 15/16″ (37 x 38 cm)
The Family of Man Fund
Adrian Piper (American, born 1948)
Food for the Spirit #14
1971, printed 1997
Gelatin silver print
14 9/16 x 15″ (37 x 38.1 cm)
The Family of Man Fund
Harold Edgerton (American, 1903-1990)
Indian Club Demonstration
1939
Gelatin silver print
13 x 10″ (33.0 x 26.0 cm)
Gift of the artist
Harold Edgerton (American, 1903-1990)
Bobby Jones with an Iron
1938
Gelatin silver print
9 5/8 x 11 1/2″ (24.4 x 29.2 cm)
Gift of the artist
John Divola (American, born 1949)
Untitled from the series Vandalism
1974
Gelatin silver print
7 1/16 x 7 1/16″ (18.0 x 18.0 cm)
Purchase
John Divola (American, born 1949)
Untitled from the series Vandalism
1974
Gelatin silver print
7 x 7″ (17.9 x 17.9 cm)
Purchase
Robert Frank (American, born Switzerland 1924)
Boston (detail)
March 20, 1985
Color instant prints (Polaroids) with hand-applied paint and collage
each 27 3/4 x 22 1/4″ (70.3 x 56.4 cm)
Acquired through the generosity of Polaroid Corporation
Anna Blume (German, born 1937)
Bernhard Blume (German, born 1937)
Kitchen Frenzy (Küchenkoller) (detail)
1986
Gelatin silver prints
Each 66 15/16 x 42 1/2″ (170 x 108 cm)
Acquired through the generosity of the Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street
New York, NY 10019
T: (212) 708-9400
Opening hours:
Wednesday – Monday, 10.30 am – 5.30 pm
Friday, 10.30 am – 8.00 pm
Closed Tuesday
Filed under: American, american photographers, beauty, black and white photography, colour photography, curator, digital photography, documentary photography, exhibition, existence, film, gallery website, memory, New York, photographic series, photography, Polaroid photography, portrait, psychological, reality, Robert Frank, space, Thomas Ruff, time, video, works on paper Tagged: A Neutral Space, A World of Its Own, A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio, Abstraction - Surface Tension #2, Actual Photos, Adrian Piper, Adrian Piper Food for the Spirit, Adrian Piper Food for the Spirit #14, Adrian Piper Food for the Spirit #2, Adrian Piper Food for the Spirit #8, Allan McCollum, Allan McCollum Actual Photos, Allover (Genesis Travis Tritt and Others), Anna Blume, Anna Blume Kitchen Frenzy (Küchenkoller), Barbara Morgan, Barbara Morgan Cadenza, Barbara Morgan Pure Energy and Neurotic Man, Berenice Abbott, Berenice Abbott Wave Pattern with Glass Plate, Bernhard Blume Kitchen Frenzy, Bobby Jones with an Iron, Bouncing Ball Bearing, Cala Leaves, Carl Hoefert, Carl Hoefert unemployed blackjack dealer, Christian Marclay, Christian Marclay Allover (Genesis Travis Tritt and Others), David Wojnarowicz, Food for the Spirit, György Kepes, György Kepes Abstraction - Surface Tension #2, Harold Edgerton, Harold Edgerton Bobby Jones with an Iron, Harold Edgerton Bouncing Ball Bearing, Harold Edgerton Indian Club Demonstration, Harold Edgerton Lead Falling in a Shot Tower, Harold Edgerton This is Coffee, Harry Callahan, Harry Callahan Eleanor, Harry Callahan Eleanor 1948, Heinz Hajek-Halke, Heinz Hajek-Halke Embrace, Heinz Hajek-Halke Embrace (Umarmung), Heinz Hajek-Halke Umarmung, Imogen Cunningham, Imogen Cunningham Cala Leaves, In the American West, Indian Club Demonstration, John Divola Vandalism, Josephine Meckseper, Josephine Meckseper Blow-Up (Michelli Knee-Highs), Küchenkoller, Kiki Smith, Kiki Smith My Secret Business, Kitchen Frenzy, Laurie Simmons, Laurie Simmons Actual Photos, Lead Falling in a Shot Tower, Man Ray, Man Ray Rayograph, Man Ray Rayograph 1923, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michelli Knee-Highs, MIT, My Secret Business, Pascal (Paris), Peter Hujar, Peter Hujar David Wojnarowicz, Peter Hujar Pascal (Paris), phg.06, Photographic Practices in the Studio, photographic studio practices, photography in the studio, Pure Energy and Neurotic Man, Richard Avedon, Richard Avedon Carl Hoefert, Richard Avedon Carl Hoefert unemployed blackjack dealer, Richard Avedon In the American West, Robert Frank, Robert Frank Boston, Roman Signer, Roman Signer Barrel, Roman Signer Barrel (Fass), Roman Signer Carriage, Roman Signer Carriage (Wagen), Roman Signer Fass, Roman Signer Rubber Motor, Roman Signer Rubber Motor (Gummimotor), Roman Signer Sand, Roman Signer Sand Cone, Roman Signer Sand Cone (Sandkegel), Roman Signer Sand Curtain (Sandvorhang), Roman Signer Sand Pillar, Roman Signer Sand Pillar (Sandturm), Roman Signer Sand Stairs (Sandtreppe), Roman Signer Sandkegel, Roman Signer Schirm, Roman Signer Schlauch, Roman Signer Tube, Roman Signer Tube (Schlauch), Roman Signer Umbrella, Roman Signer Umbrella (Schirm), Roman Signer Wagen, Sand Cone (Sandkegel), Sand Pillar, studio photography, The Studio from Laboratory to Playground, This is Coffee, Thomas Ruff, Thomas Ruff phg.06, Valérie Belin, Valérie Belin Mannequins, Vandalism, Virtual Spaces, Wave Pattern with Glass Plate
