ALBERTINA, Wien
Heinrich Kühn, Der Sonnenschirm, 1912, Autochrom
Vienna, ALBERTINA MODERN: »Pictorialism. Art Photography around 1900«
Is Photography Art?
Vienna around 1900: photography had already made rapid technical progress, but at this time only very few recognized its artistic potential. The ALBERTINA in Vienna illuminates in Pictorialism. Art Photography around 1900 the beginnings of a network that sought to elevate photography to the status of fine art. The exhibition opens on February 3, 2023.
February 03, 2023
In the 19th century, photography served primarily for documentation; only a few saw artistic potential in it. In Vienna, a network developed around Heinrich Kühn that established international connections and made it its mission to put photography on an equal footing with the fine arts. The ALBERTINA in Vienna is now dealing in detail with this groundbreaking chapter in art history for the first time. The exhibition Pictorialism. Art Photography around 1900 can be seen at the ALBERTINA MODERN from February 3 to April 26, 2023.
Art photography experienced its first peak in the 1920s. One of its well-known representatives in Vienna was Rudolf Koppitz, a student at the former k.u.k. (imperial and royal) Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt in Vienna. Art photography was initially oriented toward compositional teachings of painting, but increasingly found its own form of expression. The so-called pictorialism also had a significant influence on commercial portrait photography.
ALBERTINA, Wien, Dauerleihgabe der Höheren Graphischen Bundes-Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt
Rudolf Koppitz, Bewegungsstudie, 1926, Gummidruck
Dive deeper into the art world
New York, The Museum of Modern Art
Political Portraits: »Ideas of Africa«
Everyday scenes, dance events, and changing youth cultures: In the exhibition Ideas of Africa: Portraiture and Political Imagination, the Museum of Modern Art explores how portrait photography influenced pan-African trends. The exhibition runs until July 25, 2026, in New York.
December 15, 2025
Atlanta: High Museum of Art presents Ralph Eugene Meatyard
The macabre photography pioneer
The High Museum of Art presents one of the most innovative photographers of the 20th century: Ralph Eugene Meatyard was self-taught and devoted himself to the absurd and surreal. The exhibition The Family Album of Ralph Eugene Meatyard, which opens in Atlanta on December 12, features 36 rare photographs.
December 12, 2025
