ABSTRACT
In contrast to the harsh criticism that Steichen’s The Family of Man has been subjected to, media theorist Fred Turner comes to a rather surprising conclusion in his recent article on the exhibit. Media theorist Fred Turner’s more positive reading of The Family of Man seems to strike a chord in more general terms as it echoes a recently regained popularity and appreciation of Steichen’s exhibit after decades of critical. He demonstrates how the installation design of the 1955 show in MoMA, on which my chapter concentrates, as well as the present installation at Clervaux, engage the viewer in active, dynamic and relational modes of perception, experience and thought that thwart challenges of monolithic sentimentality. Granted that The Family of Man is an example of Cold War propaganda, selling the American dream, some have even called it ‘hard-core propaganda’.
