Mark Cohen
Headless Horseman, 1967/2005
gelatin silver print
16 x 20 inches
40.64 x 50.8 cm
40.64 x 50.8 cm
The exhibition takes its name from a new book by David Campany, a curator and writer based in London and New York. David Campany was an undergraduate student when he met Susan Sontag. During a friendly discussion about her groundbreaking and influential book On Photography, CAMPANY ASKED ABOUT HER ASSESSMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHY WITHOUT INCLUDING SPECIFIC PHOTOGRAPHS. “MY BOOK IS MORE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY AS A PHENOMENON, SOCIAL AND ARTISTIC,” SHE REPLIED. “PERHAPS ONE DAY YOU WILL WRITE A BOOK TITLED ON PHOTOGRAPHS.” CAMPANY HAS ACCOMPLISHED THE GOAL SUSAN SONTAG SET OUT FOR HIM WITH ON PHOTOGRAPHS, PUBLISHED THIS FALL BY MIT PRESS.
In the spirit of the book—exploring the meaning of photography and its history by focusing on specific images—the exhibition On Photographs surveys 20 images from 18 leading 20th century photographers including Eugene Atget, Ilse Bing, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mark Cohen, Walker Evans, Mario Giacomelli, Ralph Gibson, Bill Jacobson, György Kepes, Andre Kertesz, Helen Levitt, Man Ray, Aaron Siskind, Jerry Uelsmann, Edward Weston, Francesca Woodman, and Masao Yamamoto. The exhibition presents an opportunity to commemorate Robert Klein Gallery’s 40th anniversary as most of the photographers in On Photographs have been in multiple exhibitions at the gallery.