RE: Van Dyke brown prints at the MOMA
Luis Nadeau (awef6t@mis.ca)
Sun, 25 Aug 1996 20:46:54 +0300
>I believe that there has been a quandary in museums as to where to put
>photography categorically. I think Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum
>Of Modern Art are considered to be prints, as in prints and drawings.
>This decision pre dates the current head conservator. I cant remember his
^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think you mean "curator". You may also be confusing MOMA (Museum of
Modern Art, 11 W, 53rd St, NYC)) with the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Fifth
Ave. at 82nd Street) The latter's curator was Weston Naef, now at the J.
Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, California. I happen to have a letter from him
at hand and indeed he was with the Dept of Prints *and* Photographs. In a
more recent letter, also at hand because it is in the same file, he is the
curator of photographs. I never discussed it with him, but I think one of
the reasons why he went with the Getty is that he could have his own Dept
of Photographs.
John Szarkowski was MOMA's Dept of Photography curator for a long time
before being replaced by Peter Galassi.
Those wondering why it is important to keep track of all of this in the
context of Alt-photo/artistic printing should check "Portfolio Editioning",
starting p. 183 of the most recent (3rd) edition of my platinum book,
available at a library near you --for the two of you who don't have their
own copy;-)
Luis Nadeau
awef6t@mis.ca
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
http://www.mi.net/dialin/awef6t/