For the next few months, art collectors Mirian and David Landau will have to share two of their favorite works of photography. But it’s for a good cause: the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit “Place and Time,” which is photographer Barry Frydlender’s first solo show at the museum.

The Landaus have been collecting photographs for about 12 years, and recently came across Mr. Frydlender’s work at the Andrea Meislin gallery in Chelsea. “I was taken aback by all of it,” Ms. Landau said. “It’s so detailed and rich and speaks relevantly of a place and time.”

It’s not just his work that the Landaus are drawn to, but also Mr. Frydlender’s background. Born in Israel, he works and lives in Tel Aviv. Many of his photographs depict Israel, where the Landaus first met each other more than 30 years ago. “His work transcends place,” Ms. Landau said. “It shows a reality that’s painful, poignant, and tough.”

The 10 life-size photographs in the MoMa show will be images of Israel. The chief curator of photography at MoMa, Peter Galassi, said that Mr. Frydlender’s work shot there is his most distinctive to date: “I think his recent work is an ongoing achievement — visually and for the braveness with which it faces up to the conflicted circumstance of Israel.”

The two photographs the Landaus are lending to MoMa are “Jaber Coffee Shop” (2003), which is narrow and extremely long — almost as long as the Landaus’ living room wall on which it usually hangs. The photograph shows men passing time in a coffee shop in Jerusalem. “The coffee shop gives another dimension of Israeli society,” Mr. Galassi said.

The other, which hangs in the Landaus’ back hallway when it’s not at MoMa, is called “Raid” (2003). It is a scene of a raid and ongoing investigation in Tel Aviv across from Mr. Frydlender’s home.

The artist’s mechanics of assembling a photograph set him apart from others. Instead of having just one photograph of a scene, Mr. Frydlender compiles individual digital shots to assemble the big picture so that the final photograph can still look crisp. “The way he works is really the fascinating thing about his work,” Ms. Landau said.

Ms. Landau notes that while the “Raid” photograph is not inherently beautiful, it is compelling. “It’s very graceful and told well. It’s the beauty of his process — the way he portrays reality,” Ms. Landau said.

While “Raid” and “Coffee Shop” have more neutral tones in them, “Pitzutziya” (2002), roughly translated as “convenience store,” which will be part of the exhibit, is a vibrantly colorful and candyland-like photograph that conjures images of the land of sweets in “The Nutcracker.” The picture, though, portrays the explosion of globalization — many of the goods for sale in the shop come from various countries.

“Pitzutziya,” with all its images of goodies and candies, strategically placed in the kitchen, practically takes over the room. Like the rest of the Landau house, the art dominates. “It’s an intrinsic part of our lives,” Ms. Landau says of their art collection. “It’s such a haven.”

The Landaus have been living in their Upper West Side apartment for almost 30 years. Mr. Landau is a native New Yorker and is the copresident and CEO of Dial Communications-Global Media, a network radio production and sales organization. Ms. Landau grew up in the southern part of Brazil and helps with her family’s reforestation business back home.

The walls and furnishings of their home are kept simple, clean, and neutral so that that the photographs, many of which are wall-size as well, stand out. Other largerthan-life works that fill the threebedroom apartment are photographs by James Caseber, a Brooklyn artist; a grand-scale beach scene of Cabo Frio in Brazil by Massimo Vitali; a shot of the Loire Valley by Elger Esser, and a set of 10 series of photos by Juan Manuel that depict Colombia’s decline.

kherrup@nysun.com