The past two decades have witnessed an increase in exhibitions of fashion photography in major international museums. This indicates not only the museum’s burgeoning interest in other cultural forms but the acceptance of fashion photography into specific art contexts. This thesis examines two recent exhibitions of contemporary fashion photography: “Fashioning Fiction in Photography Since 1990” at the Museum of Modern Art (April 16- June 28, 2004), the first exhibition of fashion photography at a major North American museum of art, and “Weird Beauty: Fashion Photography Now” at the International Center of Photography (January 16, 2009-May 3, 2009). These exhibitions sought to either confirm fashion photography’s status as art or to illustrate its stylistic virtuosity. This thesis analyses both of these exhibitions in relation to the curatorial methods employed by each museum. It also considers how fashion photography’s affective qualities and commercial origins highlight the problematic nature of a modernist approach to photography as well as its contemporary manifestations.