Sarah Greenough

First published in France in 1958, then in the United States in 1959, Robert Frank's The Americans changed the course of twentieth-century photography.
Looking In: Robert Frank's "The Americans" celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of this prescient book. Drawing on newly examined archival sources, it provides a fascinating in-depth examination of the making of the photographs and the book's construction, using vintage contact sheets, work prints and letters that literally chart Frank's journey around the country on a Guggenheim grant in 1955–56. Curator and editor Sarah Greenough and her colleagues also explore the roots of The Americans in Frank's earlier books, which are abundantly illustrated here, and in books by photographers Walker Evans, Bill Brandt and others. The 83 original photographs from The Americans are presented in sequence in as near vintage prints as possible. The catalogue concludes with an examination of Frank's later reinterpretations and deconstructions of The Americans, bringing full circle the history of this resounding entry in the annals of photography. This volume is a reprint of the 2009 edition.… (mehr)

Amazon.com Review
Alfred Stieglitz had a double impact on the evolution of modern art in America. As an audacious and dedicated photographer, he fought for photography's acceptance as an art form. As a gallery owner, he introduced the American public to the greatest artists of the period: Rodin, Matisse, Cézanne, Picasso, Brancusi, Braque, and Duchamp owed their first exhibitions in America to Stieglitz's vision and energy. The large and elegant Modern Art and America, organized by Sarah Greenough, curator of photography at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, presents 360 works by artists associated with Stieglitz's galleries, including the photographer himself. The first half of the book describes the years 1905 to 1917, when Stieglitz used his Gallery 291 as an intellectual forum and a place to exhibit the work of mostly European artists. The second covers 1921 to 1946, when he focused on promoting American artists such as John Marin, Arthur Dove, Paul Strand, and Stieglitz's partner, Georgia O'Keeffe. In an imaginative re-creation of history, the editors have gone to great lengths to locate and illustrate the actual paintings, photos, and sculptures that Stieglitz exhibited. Essays by curators at the National Gallery and others describe his relationships with individual artists, successfully conveying the intellectual ferment that he inspired. Modern Art and America, printed in Italy to the highest quality standards, is an exemplary combination of scholarship and art book, a pleasure both to look at and to read. --John Stevenson

From Library Journal
Greenough, curator of photographs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, has arranged a recent exhibit there that focuses on the role of photographer Alfred Stieglitz as a promoter of modern art in the United States. This book complements the exhibit, featuring essays by Greenough and other scholars on the New York galleries that Stieglitz operated as showcases for modern painting, sculpture, and photography during the first three decades of the 20th century. Greenough's book is successful in explaining the importance of the galleries, which made European art available to Americans while also revealing the talents of modern American painters, photographers, and sculptors. Most of the essays focus on the artists who exhibited in Stieglitz's galleries, e.g., Picasso, O'Keeffe, Matisse, and Strand. The research and documentation in this volume are exemplary, and the high-quality photographic reproductions are well chosen. Strongly recommended for academic and larger public libraries. Eric Linderman, East Cleveland P.L., Ohio… (mehr)

A beautiful book, large and handsome, good paper, and photographs from another time taken by a master of the camera equipment that he used. It is doubtful we shall see many of these types of photographs any longer as the equipment is outdated and very expensive to use. Certainly dated now, but nonetheless stunning in themselves. Alfred Stieglitz will most likely be best remembered for what he brought to modern art even though in fact he was a very gifted photographer. He also was involved in a great love story and partnership with Georgia O'Keeffe.… (mehr)

Alfred Stieglitz is waarschijnlijk de meest invloedrijke fotograaf uit de Verenigde Staten van de eerste helft van de 20e eeuw. Niet eens zo zeer door zijn eigen foto's maar vooral door de talrijke tentoonstellingen die hij georganiseerd heeft waarbij hij de Amerikanen kennis heeft laten maken met de moderne kunst uit Europa.
In dit boek zijn 73 foto's van Stieglitz afgedrukt en zijn 40 blz teksten van hem opgenomen. Het boek is prachtig uitgevoerd, de afdrukken zijn schitterend en de teksten lezen prettig. De teksten heb ik overigens maar voor een klein deel gelezen, het ging mij vooral om de afdrukken.
Ik vind de foto's van Stieglitz mooi, maar niet superieur.… (mehr)