Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Picturing New York: Photographs from MoMA at the Irish Museum of Modern Art

Picturing New York comprises 145 masterworks from the photographic collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, covering the period from the 1880s to the present day. It celebrates the tradition of photographing New York, a tradition that frames and influences the perception of this vibrant urban centre. Including photographs by such influential photographers as Berenice Abbot, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, Lisette Model, Alfred Stieglitz and Cindy Sherman, it explores both New York and its inhabitants, highlighting associations – from the vast, overwhelming architecture and bright lights, to the diversity of people that lie at the soul of the city.

Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman (American, born 1954), “Untitled Film Still #21”, 1978. Gelatin silver print. 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches (19.1 x 24.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Horace W. Goldsmith Fund through Robert B. Menschel, © 2009 Cindy Sherman

The photographs reveal New York as a city of contrasts and extremes through images of towering buildings and tenements, party-goers and street-dwellers, hurried groups and solitary individuals. “Picturing New York” suggests the symbiosis between the city’s progression from past to present and the evolution of photography as a medium and as an art form. Additionally, these photographs of New York contribute significantly to the notion that the photograph, as a work of art, is capable of constructing a sense of place and a sense of self.

“I am thrilled that ‘Picturing New York ‘will be presented in Dublin —a city whose vitality, grit, and vibrant artistic community resonates with that of New York ,” said Sarah Meister, Curator in MoMA’s Department of Photography, who organized the exhibition. “In addition, the layout and scale of the galleries at IMMA will allow this story – of New York and photography becoming modern together throughout the twentieth century – to unfold as if chapter by chapter.”

Joe Duffy, Country Executive for Ireland, BNY Mellon, sponsors of the exhibition, added: “As the first New York bank, established back in 1784 under the leadership of Alexander Hamilton, we have a deep and abiding connection to this great city. Over the past 225 years our history has been inextricably linked to that of New York and we have seen at first hand the transformation of a city of some 30,000 inhabitants into the modern, iconic metropolis we know today. Our support of fine art and popular photography has long been a key element of our philanthropic endeavors and we are proud to support the Irish Museum of Modern Art in bringing such a marvellous exhibition to Dublin during this, our 15th year since first opening offices in this city.”

“Picturing New York : Photographs from The Museum of Modern Art” is organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York , and is supported by The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art. It is curated by Sarah Meister, Curator, Department of Photography at MoMA. The exhibition was also presented at La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain (March 26 to June 14, 2009) and the Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy, (July 11 to October 11, 2009).