Accession Number2007/2.59
TitleFrom the Radio Tower, Berlin
Artist(s)László Moholy-NagyArtist NationalityAmerican (North American)Object Creation Date1928, printed circa 1941 - 1946Medium & Supportgelatin silver print on paperDimensions 9 15/16 in x 7 ½ in (25.24 cm x 19.05 cm);18 in x 14 in (45.72 cm x 35.56 cm);9 15/16 in x 7 ½ in (25.24 cm x 19.05 cm)
Credit LineGift of Dr. Seymour and Barbara K. AdelsonLabel copyRecent Acquisitions: Curators Choice Part I, November 12, 2011-March 18, 2012
László Moholy-Nagy
United States, born Hungary, 1895–1946
Radio Tower, Berlin
1928
Gelatin silver print
Gift of Dr. Seymour and Barbara Adelson, 2007/2.59
Subject matterOne of Moholy-Nagy's most iconic photographs, this image depicts the view seen straight down from the vertiginous, needle-shaped radio tower in Berlin—then the tallest structure in Germany. Moholy-Nagy's plunging view flattens the forms of the rectangular buildings and landscaped garden directly beneath the structure, which are covered in a light snowfall. The partial clearing of a path creates a fascinatingly ambiguous dark line that snakes across the lower left corner of the image to meet the diagonal strip of building that cuts across the upper margin of the image.
Physical DescriptionPhotograph looking straight down onto a built landscape.
Primary Object ClassificationPhotographCollection AreaPhotographyRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
abstraction
aerial views
bird's-eye views
modern and contemporary art
perspective (technique)
photographs
radio (telecommunication system)
snow (precipitation)
tower
towers (single built works)