Thomas Walther Collection on View at MASI Lugano
MASI Lugano presents 200 vintage photographs from the Thomas Walther Collection, spanning 1900 to 1940 and showcasing modernist photography. The collection, acquired by MoMA New York, is rarely exhibited due to conservation constraints. Curated by Sarah Hermanson Meister, the exhibition is accompanied by a volume published by Silvana Editoriale in collaboration with MoMA. The show begins with Camera Work, the seminal journal founded by Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen, which bridged pictorialism and modernism. Sections include 'Vita d’artista' featuring Claude Cahun, August Sander, André Kertész, Man Ray, and Lucia Moholy; 'Purismi' with Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Bernard Shea Horne, and Jaroslav Rössler; and 'Esperimenti nella forma' with Raoul Hausmann and Franz Roh. Highlights include Stieglitz’s portrait of Georgia O’Keeffe, Herbert Bayer’s 1932 self-portrait 'Umanamente impossibile', and works by Walker Evans, Umbo, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Ilse Bing, and Albert Renger-Patzsch.
Key facts
- MASI Lugano presents 200 vintage photographs from the Thomas Walther Collection.
- The collection spans 1900 to 1940 and focuses on modernist photography.
- Thomas Walther assembled the collection starting in the late 1970s.
- The collection was later acquired by MoMA New York.
- The exhibition is curated by Sarah Hermanson Meister.
- A volume is published by Silvana Editoriale in collaboration with MoMA.
- The exhibition includes sections such as 'Vita d’artista', 'Purismi', and 'Esperimenti nella forma'.
- Featured artists include Claude Cahun, August Sander, André Kertész, Man Ray, Lucia Moholy, Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Bernard Shea Horne, Jaroslav Rössler, Raoul Hausmann, Franz Roh, Herbert Bayer, Walker Evans, Umbo, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Ilse Bing, and Albert Renger-Patzsch.
Entities
Artists
- Thomas Walther
- Alfred Stieglitz
- Edward Steichen
- Constantin Brancusi
- Paul Cézanne
- Henri Matisse
- Pablo Picasso
- Auguste Rodin
- Henri Rousseau
- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
- Claude Cahun
- Florence Henry
- August Sander
- André Kertész
- Man Ray
- Lucia Moholy
- Paul Strand
- Edward Weston
- Bernard Shea Horne
- Jaroslav Rössler
- Georgia O'Keeffe
- Walker Evans
- Umbo
- Alvin Langdon Coburn
- Ilse Bing
- Albert Renger-Patzsch
- Raoul Hausmann
- Franz Roh
- Herbert Bayer
- Gertrud Arndt
Institutions
- MASI Lugano
- MoMA New York
- Silvana Editoriale
- Camera Work
- Gallery 291
Locations
- Lugano
- Switzerland
- New York
- United States
- Fifth Avenue