MOMA: Photographic Processes in the Studio

The current photography exhibit at MOMA, A World of Its Own: Photographic Processes in the Studio, is given an interesting description on the museum's website:

"A World of Its Own offers another history of photography—a photography created within the walls of the studio, and yet as innovative as its more extroverted counterpart, street photography."

In reading this, one wonders first of all what has happened to such other non-studio genres as photojournalism and landscape photography.  Surely street photography is not the only type of photography conducted outside studio walls.  Still, the point is clear enough.  Though some works shown, as in the case of Julia Margaret Cameron's portraits, might actually have been photographed outdoors rather than in an indoor studio, the prints (and videos) on display are all "constructed" shots, i.e. planned rather than simply taken.  As one might expect from so broad an approach, the result is a confusing affair in which the works of a number of different photographers, representing seemingly every period and every nationality, have been hung side by side in a muddle of styles and techniques with little thought given to the relationship that each might have to another . 

The works which fare the best here are the classics by well known photographers.  These would include Edward Steichen's sensitive portrait of Anna May Wong and Nadar's of the mime Duburau as Pierrot.  Alongside a huge print by Avedon of an unemployed casino croupier is his group study of Andy Warhol posing with members of the Factory.  There are two nudes of Tina Modotti taken by Edward Weston in Mexico, a self portrait of Brancusi sitting among his sculptures, portraits and still lifes by Irving Penn, a wonderful arrangement of seaside artifacts by Paul Outerbridge as well as the exhibit's avatar, Laboratory of the Future, by Man Ray.  Inevitably, several motion studies by Eadweard Muybridge have also been included.

There is also on display some interesting work be lesser known photographers.  These include two studies by Barbara Kasten that reveal a mastery of color technique and a series of disturbing self portraits by Adrian Piper that intentionally dissolve into darkness and disembodiment.

In summary, there is some great photographic work contained in A World of Its Own that is well worth seeing, but the presentation at this exhibit does these pieces a disservice through its lack of coherence.  It would have been much better for MOMA to have put on a show with a narrower theme that could have been more easily grasped by viewers and that would have allowed the significance of these photographs to have been more readily apparent.

The exhibit continues through October 5, 2014.