Welcome to the collection
The Museum of Contemporary Photography's permanent collection comprises more than 8,500 photographs and photography-related objects made since 1936. It reflects the medium's diverse capacities for artistic expression, documentation and communication, with an overriding emphasis on the power of photography as art and idea. At the same time, the works in the collection exemplify the diverse processes and materials that have been used in photographic practice, from traditional gelatin silver prints and color c-prints, to digital methods and a host of alternative printing techniques. The museum is committed to exploring the role of photography in a larger field of image-making, so the collection also includes a selection of videos, three-dimensional objects, and installations informed by or incorporating photography.
Searching
On this website you can search the museum's entire collection or browse highlights. Before searching or browsing, use the links above to select one of two ways to view your results: either as entries for individual Artworks, or more broadly as entries for the respective Artists.
Saving Groups of Artworks
If you would like, you can create a user account to personalize your experience of MoCP's online collection. This allows you to assign artworks to groups as you search or browse. Groups are saved so you can view them later or share them with other users.
To get started, click on the Login link above. In the section marked "Register" enter your email address and the system will email you a password that you can use to login. Once you are logged in you can visit the Manage Favorites page to create a new group, make an existing group public so others can view it, or access groups that others have chosen to share with you.
Your email address is used only to secure your user account and password and will not be distributed or sold. For more information on the museum's privacy policy see our privacy policy.
If you have questions or are experiencing problems using this website, please contact Kristin Freeman at kfreeman@colum.edu.
Recent Acquisition Highlights
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Imaginary Space II (Sabattier's Effect) PHOTOGRAPH Ehm, Josef 1934 |
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A pair of hairy legs crossed with two gloved hands resting above the legs. The background is all white. [More Info] | |
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Prague (angels) PHOTOGRAPH Grygar, Stepan 1981 |
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Aerial view of a figure in an angel costume walking in the snow. [More Info] | |
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Prague (ice wheel) PHOTOGRAPH Grygar, Stepan 1986 |
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The top of a wheel in the snow. [More Info] | |
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Untitled (flame in waterfall) PHOTOGRAPH Opera, John 2006 |
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A small fire underneath a waterfall. [More Info] | |
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Untitled, from the Elton John AIDS Foundation Photography Portfolio I PHOTOGRAPH Mann, Sally C. 1998 |
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A blurry image of the side of a house on the right and three white pillars on the left. [More Info] | |
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World #33, from the Elton John AIDS Foundation Photography Portfolio I PHOTOGRAPH Van Empel, Ruud 2008 |
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A girl with dark skin standing among several large green leaves and looking at the viewer. [More Info] | |
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Invasive Basalt, Seal Rocks State Park, Oregon, from The Great Northwest Portfolio PHOTOGRAPH Toedtemeier, Terry 2001 |
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Large rock formations in a foggy body of water. [More Info] | |
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When did you leave Heaven?, from The Great Northwest Portfolio PHOTOGRAPH Weems, Carrie Mae 2001 |
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Clouds in a circle frame on white. [More Info] | |
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My Dad Standing in the Flowerpot PHOTOGRAPH Lindvay, Lisa 2009 |
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A shirtless middle-aged man standing in a small circular flower pot in front of a grey house. [More Info] | |
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Untitled, Santa Fe to Billings PHOTOGRAPH Stimac, Greg 2009 |
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Several splattered bugs against a black background. [More Info] | |
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Leaves of Grass, #1 PHOTOGRAPH Ma Liang, a.k.a. Maleonn 2007-2008 |
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A topless Asian man standing among flowers and looking at a flower through a magnifying glass. A curtain and window frame surround him. [More Info] | |
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Temporary Sculpture n.8 PHOTOGRAPH Xiaohu, Zhou 2008 |
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Panoramic shot of Shanghai. [More Info] | |
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Great Show, Pittsburg, PA PHOTOGRAPH Yun, Suyeon 2007 |
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A little girl's bedroom with a white dresser drawer opened holding pink fabric. A piece of paper that reads Great Show is leaning against the dresser mirror in C. [More Info] | |
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Troops Onboard a Landing Raft PHOTOGRAPH Capa, Robert 1945 |
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Four men in the foreground sitting on a dock of a ship. A crowd of men also on the ship in the background. [More Info] | |
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People's Square, from the "A Changing Shanghai" series PHOTOGRAPH Xu Xixian and Xu Jianrong 1987 |
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Several people riding bikes in an open lot. A large building is faded in the ULQ. [More Info] | |
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People's Square, from the "A Changing Shanghai" series PHOTOGRAPH Xu Xixian and Xu Jianrong 2004 |
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Five large white buildings in the upper half of the image and a street in the lower half. A sign that reads TOSHIBA is on top of the building on the right. [More Info] | |
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Camera Obscura: The Pantheon in Hotel Albergo del Sole, Room #111, Rome, Italy PHOTOGRAPH Morell, Abelardo 2008 |
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An image of the Pantheon projected onto a white wall with a white curtain and small couch in front of it and a painting hanging on the wall. [More Info] | |
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Location: Harvard Square, from the School of the Art Institute Chicago 2007 MFA porftolio PHOTOGRAPH McElroy, Lilly 2004 |
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A woman lying on the ground and another woman looking down at her. A man on the left side appears to be standing at a Toasted Nuts stand. [More Info] | |
