Photo Synthesis

Since 1962, John Szarkowski has been director of photography at the Museum of Modem Art; he has every right to set himself up as a Grand Old Man. He hasn't succumbed to that dreary temptation—as witness his frisky approach to an exhibition that covers the 150-year history of photography. Instead of a witless survey of the big names, "Photography Until Now" is a lively look at how the medium's technical evolution has informed the art. Different cameras have promoted different ways of seeing, for example, and the places that have employed photographers have influenced their view of art. Far from making art seem a creature of its means, he turns each photograph into a discovery of what's suddenly possible.

MARK STEVENS