Behind the Glamour: How MoMA’s “Face Value” Exposes the Artifice of Celebrity

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York is currently hosting Face Value: Celebrity Press Photography, an exhibition running through June 21, 2026, that explores the manufactured nature of 20th-century stardom. Featuring over 200 works from 1921 to 1996, the exhibition reveals the labor-intensive retouching, staging, and promotional strategies that defined the Hollywood star system long before the digital era of Photoshop.

What Does “Face Value” Reveal About Hollywood History?

According to MoMA, the exhibition highlights the “celebrity-making machinery” of the 20th century. By showcasing professional press photography, the museum demonstrates that images of iconic stars—including Louis Armstrong, Bette Davis, and Anna May Wong—were not candid snapshots but carefully constructed products designed to sell fashion, gender roles, and the actors themselves. The collection draws heavily from the archives of two major fan magazines, illustrating how museums have long treated these commercial photographs as essential components of cinematic history.

How Did Retouching Work Before Photoshop?

The exhibition exposes the physical, analog techniques used to manipulate celebrity images. Visitors can see the tangible evidence of this labor: pencil marks used for cropping, white correction fluid applied to brighten faces, and painting used to alter silhouettes. Curator Ron Magliozzi compares these historical techniques to modern artificial intelligence, noting that technicians in the 20th century were already adding or removing body parts and altering images to meet studio standards. These marks were not accidental; they were part of a standard industrial workflow that prioritized a specific, idealized version of the star.

Why Does the Exhibition Include Social and Political Figures?

While Hollywood glamour is a primary focus, the exhibition extends its scope to include athletes, politicians, and socialites, mapping the reach of the “celebrity industrial complex.” The curation emphasizes that these images often carried subtext regarding race and social tension. For example, photographs of Harry Belafonte and Joan Fontaine on the set of the 1957 film Island in the Sun were considered so controversial due to the depicted interracial relationship that studio officials reportedly requested changes to the images before they were released to the public.

How Do Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests Fit In?

MoMA incorporates film projections alongside still photography, most notably Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests. These films serve as a counterpoint to the polished studio portraits. Magliozzi explains that Warhol’s work explores the concept of control, tasking subjects with remaining motionless and staring directly into the lens. This contrasts with the highly curated press photos, as seen in Dennis Hopper’s screen test, where the actor subverted the exercise by making faces and turning the camera’s focus onto himself.

Key Takeaways from the Exhibition

• Broad Timeline: The exhibition spans 75 years of photography, covering the evolution of press imagery from 1921 to 1996.
• Intentional Curation: The works are displayed in a “salon density” to mimic the overwhelming, image-saturated environment of modern social media.
• Collaborative Labor: The final image was the result of a team effort involving photographers, laboratory technicians, and retouchers, rather than the work of a single artist.
• Public Engagement: By showing the “tricks” behind the glamour, the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect on their own consumption of celebrity imagery today.

Face Value: Celebrity Press Photography remains on view at the MoMA in New York through June 21, 2026. It serves as a reminder that the “facade” of celebrity has always been a collaborative, manufactured performance—one that continues to shape how we perceive both famous figures and ourselves.