Hiroshi Sugimoto’s photo Polar Bear, 1976

In 1974, photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto discovered something fascinating about the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History.

"I made a curious discovery… The stuffed animals positioned before painted backdrops looked utterly fake, yet by taking a quick peek with one eye closed, all perspective vanished, and suddenly they looked very real. I’d found a way to see the world as a camera does. However fake the subject, once photographed, it’s as good as real."

Reality Check: Truth and Illusion in Contemporary Photography, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art>>