Today, I went to see “foto – Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945” at the Guggenheim Museum here in New York. I haven’t been to the Guggenheim for a while, because previously most exhibitions turned out to be utterly disappointing, and most since didn’t even spark my interest. So, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to learn that “foto” is a traveling exhibition initially organized by the National Gallery of Art in Washington. This exhibition is a great overview of Central European photography (mainly) in the years between the wars, a fabulous array of loaned images from numerous museums and private collections. It includes a number of photographers one would expect in such a survey, like August Sander, Lotte Jacobi, Hans Bellmer, Hanna Höch, Josef Sudek, László Moholy-Nagy, or El Lissitzky. But one also encounters many names – and works – for the very first time through this exhibition. Plus, there is a refreshingly significant number of women photographers in this show – which is, after all, rather representative for the period and the medium. Some of the gems in “foto” are a self-portrait of John Heartfield, some great images by Umbo, photomontages by people like Lajos Vaida, Rudolf Lutz, Marianne Brandt or Kazimierez Podsadecki, and an incredible photo of a demonstration at Charles University by Karel Hájek. I also was delighted to see a couple of images by Karel Teige, a Czech avant-garde figure which I learned to appreciate through his visionary book “The Minimum Dwelling” (1932) recently re-published by MIT Press. I would recommend “foto – Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945” to everyone who is interested in Modernist art and photography. It runs through January 13th, 2008. Also check out the gorgeous accompanying catalogue.
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