Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945

It was in interwar central Europe that photography as a modern art form was established. It fired the imagination of hundreds of progressive artists across Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary and Poland. It became a symbol of modernity for millions through its use in magazines, newspapers, advertising and books.

Published to accompany an exhibition organised by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, this book presents the work that redefined the very notion of art and embodied at times a dizzying freedom from traditional social roles.

Familiar names such as László Moholy-Nagy, Josef Sudek and the Bauhaus are connected to a wealth of individuals and organizations whose influence is being recovered for the first time.

The perceptive text explores topics ranging from the avant-garde (surrealism, experimental photography) to popular culture (tabloids, sports, the ‘new woman’) to extremist politics and war. Particular attention is given to photomontage, a technique that epitomized the era and found broad acceptance among artists and mass media outlets.