Picturing New York: Photographs from The Museum of Modern Art

by Sarah Meister

The photographer Berenice Abbott once mused, "How shall the two-dimensional print in black-and-white suggest the flux of activity of the metropolis, the interaction of human beings and solid architectural constructions, all impinging upon each other in time?" Picturing New York presents a myriad of answers to this question. Depicting both the iconic New York that captivates the world's imagination and the idiosyncratic details that define New Yorkers' sense of home, this anthology of photographs from The Museum of Modern Art's extraordinary collection reveals New York in all its vitality, ambition and beauty. Taken by artists pursuing their own curiosity as well as professionals on assignment, the works reveal a deeply symbiotic relationship between photography and the city, each delving into a new corner of New York while expanding the boundaries of photography as an art form. The selection comprises both celebrated images and lesser-known gems from the collection, accompanied by evocative excerpts from literary works about New York.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

152 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jennifer Lawler]

This stern-looking hardback from The Irish Museum of Modern Art in association with The Museum of Modern Art, New York, was published to coincide with the 'Picturing New York' exhibition running at IMMA until February 7th, this is one for the serious collector.

It opens with a foreword from IMMA Director Enrique Juncosa followed immediately by a preface and eight-page essay describing the photography of NYC decade-by-decade throughout the 20th century courtesy of Sarah Hermanson Meister, an associate curator at the MOMA department of photography. After a further four pages entitled ‘Picturing New York With Words’— basically a bunch of quotes on the Big Apple from everyone from Steinbeck to Toni Morrison — we get to the good stuff, the photographs themselves.

They range from the year 1888 to 2002 and each is black and white. There are the usual suspects— families arriving at Ellis Island, shots of the city lit up at night, arty snaps of Brooklyn Bridge — along with a few nice surprises.

Keep an eye out for ‘Where bomber crashed into Empire State Building’ by Ernie Sisto, 1945. A dizzying downward angle achieved no doubt from hanging out the window of one of the upper levels reveals the damage done. Eerily reminiscent of 9/11. Or the heartbreaking image of a tiny child dressed in shirt and blazer poking at the drain on a deserted steer in ‘Child Playing at Curb’ by Roy Decarava.

My favourite? ‘Bandit’s Roost’ by Jacob August Riis from 1988. Like a real-life Gangs of New York, minus Cameron with the dodgy red dye job.

[Carmen]

This is a must have/look at for anyone interested in the History of Photography or Photography in general. Some of the greatest photographers images are pictures in it.
I absolutely love this book!! It contains pretty much all my favorite photographs. The reproduction of the prints is great, and the paper feels very high quality as well. I also like the outline and the way the images are arranged on the pages. It makes a great coffee table book to flip through and enjoy very often.

The exhibit is currently touring through Atlanta and can be seen at the High Museum of Art, and it is amazing. I will be going again before it closes.

[abc]

From the MoMa exhibitions at the WA museum. good quality images, but not much in the way of descriptions.