The Saint Louis Art Museum presents The First Act: Staged Photography Before 1980 an exhibition on view January 20–April 29, 2012.

Sandy Skoglund, American, born 1946; Radioactive Cats, 1980; dye destruction print; 30 x 37 1/4 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 314:1980; ©1980 Sandy Skoglund

Apparent in the upcoming Focus on the Collection installation, the idea of staging pictures through scene setting, acting, and directing has been fundamental to the field of photography since its inception in 1839.

Photographers have visualized literary passages, constructed dreamlike imagery in darkrooms and studios, and drawn upon cinematic techniques in their pursuit of fabricating alternate realities. On view will be twelve photographs spanning 120 years, including works by Julia Margaret Cameron, Edward Steichen, and Cindy Sherman. The First Act provides a prehistory to the large-scale theatrical work in the concurrent feature exhibition, An Orchestrated Vision: The Theater of Contemporary Photography, which explores various elements of theatricality in photography from the last 20 years. – www.slam.org

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