'For 180-years, people have been asking the question: is photography art? At an early meeting of the Photographic Society of London, established in 1853, one of the members complained that the new technique was "too literal to compete with works of art" because it was unable to "elevate the imagination". This conception of photography as a mechanical recording medium never fully died away. Even by the 1960s and 70s, art photography - the idea that photographs could capture more than just surface appearances - was, in the words of the photographer Jeff Wall, a "photo ghetto" of niche galleries, aficionados and publications.'

Read the full Guardian article by Michael Prodger.