On Photography and Collecting

Today, interest in photography is stronger than ever, and many museums and institutions are presenting and collecting photographic images. What is a photo-historic collection? Where do we draw the line between art and photography? How does this borderline influence us when creating a collection of photography? What does collecting contemporary and historic photography involve? How can we use and learn from our photo-historical treasures?

In 2011 Moderna Museet has successively filled its permanent collection galleries exclusively with photography, to present photo history from the 1840s until today. The project Another Story has been an opportunity to study the museum’s history and its collection in a new light. Moderna Museet has one of the finest collections of photography in Europe. Many historically momentous photographers are featured in our collection, which comprises some 100,000 photographs.

Among the speakers are Charlotte Cotton (new Creative Director at the National Media Museum in London), Peter Galassi (former Chief Curator at the Department of Photography, The Museum of Modern Art, New York), Ingrid Fischer Jonge (Director at Museet for Fotokunst, Odense), Elina Heikka (Director at the Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki), Ingrid Nilsson (Director at Preus Museum, Horten), María Karen Sigurðardóttir (Museum Director at Reykjavik Museum of Photography) and Joachim Schmid (artist and photographer, Berlin).

Programme

1 pm Peter Galassi, Then and Now, Now and Then: Photography in the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art
2 pm Charlotte Cotton, Photography Is, Photography Isn’t: The Future of Photography in Cultural Space
3 pm Break
3.30 pm Joachim Schmid, The Missing Pictures
4.30 pm Discussion on photography and collecting in a Nordic perspective, Moderator: Anna Tellgren

Biographies

Charlotte Cotton, is the new Creative Director at the national Media Museum in London. She has earlier been Head of Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Before joining LACMA, Charlotte was a Curator of Photography at the Victorian and Albert Museum in London, for 12 years, and has also been Head of programming at the Photographers’ Gallery in London (2004 – 2005). She moved to the US in 2005 and has been visiting professor at Yale University and visiting critic at colleges, including Bard College, New York, Art Institute Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles. Charlotte Cotton has written a number of books including Imperfect Beauty (2000) Guy Bourdin (2003) and The Photograph as Contemporary Art (2004), as well as numerous articles and essays. She is the founder of the discussion forum www.wordswithoutpictures.org.

Peter Galassi former chief Curator at the Department of Photography, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. He assumed the position at the Museum of Moderna Art in 1991, but had worked there since 1974. He is a writer and noted scholar of the medium. He has organized more than 30 exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art many of which were accompanied by publications. He has a doctorate in Art History from Columbia University in 1986. Selected books, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century (2010) Cindy Sherman: The Complete Untitled Film Stills (2003) Before Photography: Painting and the invention of Photography (1984).

Joachim Schmid is an artist and photographer living in Berlin. He began his career in the early 1980s as a freelance critic and the publisher of Fotokritik an important contribution to West German photography. After ceasing publication of Fotokritik in 1987, Schmid focused on his own art production, based primarily on found photography and public image sources. The raw material for many of his works comes from his vernacular collection of photography that he amassed in flea markets in Berlin. Schmid’s work has been has been exhibited internationally and is held in the collections of many international institutions. Selected books, Photo works 1982-2007, (2007) A meeting on holiday (2003).

Ingrid Fischer Jonge is Director of Museet for Fotokunst in Odense, Denmark. Ingrid Fischer Jonge holds a master’s degree in Art History with emphasis on contemporary photography. She established The National Museum of Photography at The Royal Library in Copenhagen, Denmark where she was Head of the museum, Head of Cultural Activities and in charge of the Department of Maps, Prints and Photographs from 1994-2007. Since 2007 Ingrid Fischer Jonge is the director of Museet for Fotokunst (The Museum of Photographic Arts) at Brandts in Odense, Denmark. She has curated exhibitions and has written numerous books and studies.

Elina Heikka is Director of The Finnish Museum of Photography since 2007. It is a special national museum for photography founded in 1969. Museum’s exhibitions feature Finnish and foreign contemporary photography and diverse history of photography. Elina Heikka holds MA in Art History. She was editor and editor-in- chief in Valokuva Finnish Photography magazine from 1994 to 1998. After that she worked as a researcher at the Finnish Museum of Photography and as a special researcher at the National Gallery/Central Art Archives from 2001 to 2007. She has published widely on contemporary photography, history of Finnish photography, contemporary art and visual culture. Since 1994 she has lectured extensively, for example, as a guest lecturer at the Aalto University of Art and Design and at Turku Art Academy.

Ingrid Nilsson, is the Director at Preus Museum, Horten, Norway. She is also a Photographer. Ingrid Nilsson has been active as a teacher, curator and editor. Since twenty years she has been working in the cultural museum sector on various positions at Malmö Museer and Landskrona museum.

Maria Karen Sigurdardottir is Director of Reykjavík Museum of Photography since 2000. She graduated from The School of Conservation, part of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1995 and achieved a MPA degree (Mater of Public Administration) from The University of Iceland in 2008. Reykjavík Museum of Photography is the only independent museum of photography in Iceland. The purpose of the museum is to collect, catalogue and preserve photographic material and articles and documents relating to photography.

Contact: Karin Malmquist, Moderna Museet