MIRRORS AND WINDOWS - JOHN SZARKOWSKI - USED ART/PHOTOGRAPHY

• Title: Mirrors and Windows: American Photography since 1960

• Author / Curator: John Szarkowski

• Publisher: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; distributed by New York Graphic Society, Boston

• Publication Date / Printing: 1978 (Copyright page states Second Printing 1978)

• Format: Clothbound hardcover with original dust jacket (now in protective Mylar); 152 pages, 127 plates (17 color, 110 B&W)

• ISBN: 0-87070-475-3 (Clothbound)

• Subject: The companion catalogue to the landmark MoMA exhibition held July 28 – October 2, 1978, showcasing modern masters like Diane Arbus, William Eggleston, Garry Winogrand, Lee Friedlander, Ed Ruscha, and Stephen Shore.

Interesting Facts

• The "Mirror vs. Window" Dichotomy: Szarkowski introduced one of the most influential critical frameworks in photo history here. He proposed that photography after 1960 split into two philosophical camps:

• Mirrors: Self-expressive, introspective, romantic art reflecting the photographer's inner psychology and sensibility (lineage of Minor White).

• Windows: Exploratory, observational, objective documents looking outward to record and dissect external reality (lineage of Robert Frank).

• Szarkowski’s Outsized Impact: As MoMA’s Director of Photography for nearly three decades (1962–1991), Szarkowski single-handedly elevated photography from functional tradecraft into mainstream high art institutions. This exhibition marked the defining summary of photography's transformation during the 1960s and 1970s.

• Cover Imagery: The front cover features Garry Winogrand’s wry street portrait New York (1968), capturing a man holding his bowler hat in front of a street corner mailbox.