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Modernism

Berenice Abbott (American, 1898–1991), Nightview, NY, 1932, 1932, printed 1974, gelatin silver print, purchase with funds from a friend of the Museum, 74.58.

In the first half of the twentieth century, photography—a medium that sprung from advances in science and technology—was at the forefront of articulating a new vision for the rapidly changing modern world. Modernism marked a rejection of naturalism and academicism as artists began to experiment with their approaches to answering fundamental questions about art and human experience. The High’s collection of photographs from the modernist period numbers over two thousand prints, with an emphasis on American and European artists. It includes key works by Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Man Ray, Imogen Cunningham, Edward Weston, Berenice Abbott, Wynn Bullock, Walker Evans, and Henri Cartier-Bresson.