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First Survey Exhibition of Central European Photography between the Wars Premieres at the National Gallery of Art

Karel Kašpařík (1899-1968)

Karel Kasparík (1899-1968)
Why ?, before 1935
gelatin silver print, 38.5 x 28.9 cm (15 3/16 x 11 3/8)
Moravská galerie, Brno

Central European Photography between the Wars Premieres at the National Gallery of Art National Gallery of Washington presents Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945, the first survey exhibition devoted exclusively to this phenomenon]]>

Source: National Gallery of Art
Washington, DC – The story of photography’s extraordinary success and popularity in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, and Poland during a time of tremendous social and political upheaval, is presented in Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945 , the first survey exhibition devoted exclusively to this phenomenon. Premiering at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, June 10 through September 3, 2007, the exhibition includes more than 150 photographs, books, and illustrated magazines from several dozen American and international collections, among them many on view in the United States for the first time.

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Foto will travel to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (October 5, 2007 – January 2, 2008); the Milwaukee Art Museum (February 9 – May 4, 2008); and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh (June 7 – August 31, 2008).

Foto places famous talents, including Hungarian-born Bauhaus professor László Moholy-Nagy, German dadaist Hannah Höch, and Czech artist Josef Sudek, in the company of one hundred exemplary but largely lesser-known individuals from this golden age of photography and birthplace of photographic theory. In this region, photography inspired the imagination of hundreds of progressive artists, provided a creative outlet for thousands of dedicated amateurs, and became a symbol of modernity for millions through its use in magazines, newspapers, advertising, and books.

“To recover the crucial role played by photography in the region, and in so doing delineate a central European model of modernity, is the double aim of Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945 ,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. “Profound thanks go to the Central Bank of Hungary, the Trellis Fund, and to the many public and private supporters and lenders who made this exhibition possible.”

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First Survey Exhibition of Central European Photography between the Wars Premieres at the National Gallery of Art