Spectacular Coincidences

• Ralph Eugene Meatyeard: Untitled (480 B-60), 1960
  © The estate of Ralph Eugene Meatyeard
• Sara Cwynar: Girl from Contact Sheet (Darkroom Manual), 2013
  © Sara Cwynar courtesy of Cooper Cole Gallery Inc.
• Lee Friedlander, Maria, Minneapolis, Minnesota,1966
  © Lee Friedlander/San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art presents the showcase ‘Don’t! Photography and the Art of Mistake’ – open from 20 July to 1 December 2019.

There are times when failure is the very root of success – especially when it comes to artistic endeavours. The showcase Don’t! Photography and the Art of Mistake explores how techniques such as double exposure, lens flare and motion blur – once deemed mishaps in the early days of photography – came to be viewed as valid aesthetic concepts by a new generation of artists.

By combining the work of modernist photographers (including Man Ray, Florence Henri and Lisette Model) with a selection of historical documents, the showcase shines a light on the shifting definition of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ photography. At the same time, the exhibition examines the evolution of artistic movements within the medium. The final section of the presentation is dedicated to contemporary artists, featuring works by Sara Cwynar, John Gossage and Andy Mattern, amongst others.

For further information visit San Francisco Museum of Modern Art