A Critical Review of John Szarkowski’s book by Anne Wilson LIS 865 Spring 2012

1. A Critical Review of John Szarkowski’s book by Anne Wilson LIS 865 Spring 2012

2. Published in 1973 • John Szarkowski was the Director of Photography of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York from 1962-1991 • Szarkowski was the first to recognize photography as an art form with an exhibit in a major museum • These 100 photographs are from MOMA’s collection • Szarkowski explains how to look at these photographs and really see them Quick Facts About this Work

3. John Szarkowski Timeline • Lived from 1925—2007 • Served in the Army during WWII* • 1947 Graduated University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Art History • 1949 First solo show at Walker Art Center (he also worked as a photographer for the Center) • 1954 First Guggenheim, resulting in The Idea of Louis Sullivan (published 1956) • 1962-1991 Director of MOMA (Handpicked by Edward Steichen) • 1962 Second Guggenheim—researching wilderness and the connection between people and land. • Returned to doing his own solo work after retirement from MOMA • Taught at Harvard, Yale, Cornell, and New York University • 2005 solo exhibitions of his work throughout the U.S. • 2006 MOMA displays retrospective of his work *Source: Gefter, Philip. "John Szarkowski, Curator of Photography, Dies at 81." New York Times 9 July 2007. Print. Source: “John Szarkowski.” 2012. Web. Mar 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Szarkowski

14. CriticalReviews • “Szarkowski’s picture-by-picture text ranges from brilliant and supple observations to what can be fairly described as academic twaddle.” "Looking at Photographs by John Szarkowski." Time 17 Dec. 1973: 53-54. Print. • Choice recommends it for college-level libraries, says picture choices are too conservative, insufficient for reference work, no bibliography, not enough information on the photographers. "Szarkowski, John." Choice 11 (1974): 1125. Print. • “It is, rather, in its simplicity and directness, a remarkable achievement, one of the best introductions to photography I have seen.” "Szarkowski, John." Library Journal 98 (1973): 3627. Print. • Susan Sontag wrote a lengthy review in the New York Review of Books 5 years after the book was published. Essentially, she says the standards for evaluating don’t apply to photography, what is seen as good or bad can’t be agreed upon universally. Anyone can take photographs, there are no “schools” to look at when looking at a photographer’s work. Sontag, Susan. "Photography in Search of Itself." New York Review of Books 20 Jan. 1977: 53-58. Print.