Managing Moholy : László Moholy-Nagy's photograms in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and George Eastman House

Abstract

The Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) and George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film (GEH) have acquired substantial collections of László Moholy-Nagy's work, spanning his entire career. Using four photograms by Moholy-Nagy, two from each institution, as representative examples, this thesis examines how the AIC and GEH have dealt with his work through an examination of the acquisition, exhibition, publication, preservation, and conservation of his photographs. The unique nature of Moholy-Nagy's photograms, coupled with the myriad experimental techniques he employed in their production, has necessitated that the AIC and GEH establish policies and procedures for the care and long-term preservation of photographic objects of this nature, through the development and implementation of exhibition and loan standards as well as highly monitored storage conditions. This thesis includes an overview of the museums, a detailed analysis of each photogram, and a discussion of the collections management concerns that these objects raise.