Between 1916 and 1923 photographers like Man Ray, László Moholy- Nagy, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz and Paul Strand abandoned carefully arranged still lifes for photograms - thereby 'inventing' abstract photography. With around 200 major works of the artistic avant garde this publication presents a compelling history of photography in the 20th century. Featured artists include: Bernd and Hilla Becher , Karl Blossfeldt, Georges Brassaï, Frantisek Drtikol, Ise Gropius, Raoul Hausmann, André Kertesz, El Lissitzky, Gordon Matta-Clark, László Moholy-Nagy, Eadweard Muybridge, Man Ray, Alexander Rodtschenko, Edward Ruscha, Alfred Stieglitz, August Strindberg, Hiroshi Sugimoto