Skip navigation

Main menu

  • What's on
  • Art & Artists
    • The Collection
      Artists
      Artworks
      Art by theme
      Media
      Videos
      Podcasts
      Short articles
      Learning
      Schools
      Art Terms
      Tate Research
      Art Making
      Create like an artist
      Kids art activities
      Tate Draw game
  • Visit
  • Shop
Become a Member
  • DISCOVER ART
  • ARTISTS A-Z
  • ARTWORK SEARCH
  • ART BY THEME
  • VIDEOS
  • ART TERMS
  • SCHOOLS
  • TATE KIDS
  • RESEARCH
  • Tate Britain
    Tate Britain Free admission
  • Tate Modern
    Tate Modern Free admission
  • Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
    Tate Liverpool + RIBA North Free admission
  • Tate St Ives
    Tate St Ives Ticket or membership card required
  • FAMILIES
  • ACCESSIBILITY
  • SCHOOLS
  • PRIVATE TOURS
Tate Logo
Become a Member
Tate Modern Exhibition

Shape of Light 100 Years of Photography and Abstract Art

2 May – 14 October 2018
​Antony Cairns LDN5_051 2017 © Courtesy of the artist Antony Cairns

​Antony Cairns, LDN5_051 2017 © Courtesy of the artist Antony Cairns

  • We recommend
  • Find out more
  • Shop

For the first time, Tate Modern tells the intertwined stories of photography and abstract art

Shape of Light is the first major exhibition to explore the relationship between the two, spanning the century from the 1910s to the present day. It brings to life the innovation and originality of photographers over this period, and shows how they responded and contributed to the development of abstraction.

Key photographs are brought together from pioneers including Man Ray and Alfred Stieglitz, major contemporary artists such as Barbara Kasten and Thomas Ruff, right up to exciting new work by Antony Cairns, Maya Rochat and Daisuke Yokota, made especially for the exhibition.

Maya Rochat A Rock is a River (META CARROTS) 2017 © Maya Rochat – courtesy Lily Robert

Maya Rochat, A Rock is a River (META CARROTS), 2017 © Maya Rochat – courtesy Lily Robert

László Moholy-Nagy
K VII (1922)
Tate

John Divola 74V11 1974 Jack Kirkland Collection, Nottingham © John Divola

John Divola 74V11, 1974, Jack Kirkland Collection, Nottingham © John Divola

Barbara Kasten Photogenic Painting, Untitled 74/13 1974 Courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery, London © Barbara Kasten

Barbara Kasten, Photogenic Painting, Untitled, 74/13 1974 Courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery, London © Barbara Kasten

Man Ray Rayograph 1922 Private Collection © Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2018

Man Ray, Rayograph, 1922, Private Collection © Man Ray Trust/ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2018

Aleksandr Rodchenko Radio Station Power 1929 Lent by Jack Kirkland Collection, Nottingham © A. Rodchenko & V. Stepanova Archive. DACS, RAO 2018

Aleksandr Rodchenko, Radio Station Power, 1929, Lent by Jack Kirkland Collection, Nottingham © A. Rodchenko & V. Stepanova Archive. DACS, RAO 2018

 Alvin Langdon Coburn Vortograph 1917 George Eastman House, Rochester, New York © The Universal Order

Alvin Langdon Coburn, Vortograph, 1917, George Eastman House, Rochester, New York © The Universal Order

Wyndham Lewis Workshop c.1914-5 Tate Purchased 1974 © Wyndham Lewis and the estate of Mrs G A Wyndham Lewis by kind permission of the Wyndham Lewis Memorial Trust (a registered charity)

Wyndham Lewis, Workshop, c.1914-5 Tate Purchased 1974 © Wyndham Lewis and the estate of Mrs G A Wyndham Lewis by kind permission of the Wyndham Lewis Memorial Trust (a registered charity)

Maya Rochat A Rock is a River (META LOVE) 2017

Maya Rochat A Rock is a River (META LOVE) 2017

Tate Modern

Bankside
London SE1 9TG
Plan your visit

Dates

2 May – 14 October 2018

  • Stay in the know

    Be among the first to hear about all the latest Tate exhibitions, events, courses, and news

    Sign up to Tate emails

We recommend

  • Still form video of artist looking through a camera

    London by Night

    Join photographic artist Antony Cairns as he explores the city at night

  • John Hilliard

    John Hilliard: 'Everything comes down to time and light'

    The conceptual artist's work explores the technical and sculptural nature of photography

  • William Klein

    William Klein: In Pictures

    An exclusive interview with photographer William Klein and first-ever glimpse behind the scenes his Paris studio

  • Create an experimental photograph

    Find out more on Tate Kids
  • André Kertész Underwater Swimmer 1917 The Sir Elton John Photographic Collection © Estate of André Kertész/ Higher Pictures

    A-Z of Modernist Photography

    Discover 26 things you need to know about this period of photography

  • Thomas Ruff painting

    Surface tension

    Viviane Rehberg

    Take a look below the surface of Thomas Ruff's photographs

  • Lawn road poster

    Biology and the Bauhaus

    Discover how art and science collided in the avant-garde community of London's Hampstead

  • The members of the Total Design group 1982

    The Gesamtwerker

    Stuart Bailey assesses László Moholy-Nagy's importance as a graphic designer

Find out more

  • ​Antony Cairns, LDN5_051 2017 © Courtesy of the artist Antony Cairns

    Exhibition Guide: Shape of Light

    Find out more about our exhibition at Tate Modern

  • Artist

    László Moholy-Nagy

    1895–1946
  • Artist

    Man Ray

    1890–1976
  • Artist

    Barbara Kasten

    born 1936
  • Artist

    Thomas Ruff

    born 1958
  • Artist

    Georges Braque

    1882–1963
  • Artist

    Jackson Pollock

    1912–1956
  • Artist

    Carl Andre

    born 1935
  • Artist

    Bridget Riley

    born 1931

Shop

Artwork
Close

Join in

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Sign up to emails

Sign up to emails

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tate’s privacy policy

About

  • About us
  • Our collection
  • Terms and copyright
  • Governance
  • Picture library
  • ARTIST ROOMS
  • Tate Kids

Support

  • Tate Collective
  • Members
  • Patrons
  • Donate
  • Corporate
  • My account
  • Press
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Contact
© The Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery, 2025
All rights reserved