Praha, Paris, Barcelona: Photographic Modernity 1918-1948

Examining the revolution in photography that took place across Europe between 1918 and 1945, this enormous and bold survey orients its examination of the era around three cities, each of which served as a nexus for major developments in the medium: París, Prague and Barcelona. Until the First World War, photography had largely followed the aesthetics of painting; during and after the war, such movements as Constructivism, Moholy-Nagy's New Vision and Surrealism led photography to new frontiers, developing techniques and styles that took the medium strictly on its own terms. Demonstrating the interconnectedness of these tendencies, this volume assesses the contributions of each of these cities. Photographers based in Paris during these years include Man Ray, Brassai, Emmanuel Sougez, Hans Bellmer, Jacques-André Boiffard, Germaine Krull, André Kertész, François Collar, Claude Cahun, Florence Henri, Andreas Feininger, Eli Lotar, Dora Maar, Roger Parry and Raul Ubac; in Prague, Josef Sudek, Frantisek Drtikol, Jaroslav Rössler, Eugen Wiskovsk, Jaromír Funke, Karel Teige, Ladislav Berka, Jan Lauschmann, Josef Bartuska, Jindrich Styrsky and Karel Kasparik; and in Barcelona, Pere Català Pic, Josep Masana, Josep Sala, Josep Lladó, Emili Godes, Antoni Arissa, Gabriel Casas, Salvador Dalí and Joaquim Gomis.