Contemporary Photographer. Volume 1, No. 2. The Sense of Abstraction. Exhibition by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, July-August 1960.

Catalog from one of the last major photographer shows before Edward Steichen's retirement as Director of Photography. Photographers  include: Francis Bruguière; Alfred Stieglitz; Moholy-Nagy; Edward Steichen; Edward Weston; Alvin Langdon Coburn; Ralph Alberto; Gerard Ifert; Koyo Okada; Jaromir Stephany; Val Telberg; Nathan Lyons; Naomi Savage; Leo C. Massopust; Harold Edgerton; Syl Labrot; Lennart Olson; and Wynn Bullock. A well-known incident during this exhibit was when Labrot visited the museum and noticed that Steichen had cropped his abstract photograph. Labrot took it off the wall and walked out with it.  Good in wraps with stains on covers, which are separating at stapled spine, internally very good. Previous owner, renowned African American photographer Louis H. Draper, wrote his surname at the top of the front cover. [This publication is not to be confused with Aperture, Vol. 8, No. 2, also entitled The Sense of Abstraction, a more easily obtainable item which was on a similar theme and had a partial overlap in photographers included. Summary:

Contemporary Photographer (Volume I, No. 2, July–August 1960) is a dedicated special issue of the early fine-art photography journal covering The Sense of Abstraction, a landmark exhibition organized by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and curated by Kathleen Haven and Grace M. Mayer.

Key Summary & Highlights

• Exhibition Overview: The issue documents MoMA's major survey of non-representational photography, which brought together over 300 works by more than 75 American and international photographers.

• Formal Analysis of Abstraction: The publication explores how photographers utilized techniques such as macro optics, extreme close-ups, solarization, multiple exposures, and photograms to detach physical subjects from their literal meanings, transforming natural and man-made forms into pure line, tone, and texture.

• Featured Artists: Highlights works by key figures operating in the realm of mid-century abstract photography, including Aaron Siskind, Minor White, Harry Callahan, Frederick Sommer, Lotte Jacobi, and György Kepes.

• Critical Context: Features commentary examining the intersection between abstract photography and the Abstract Expressionist movement in painting, debating whether pure photographic abstraction served as a legitimate expansion of the medium or an imitation of graphic arts.