Ansel Adams: Masterworks

Posted by Mary Murray on September 20th 2011 | 0 Comments

Tags: Museum of Art

Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, NM, 1941, c. 2010 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust

Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute is proud to host the exhibition Ansel Adams: Masterworks from the Collection of the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, CA, which features 48 photographs that Adams selected himself to represent his best work.

Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall,
This is the American Earth

Ansel Adams (1902-84) was an exuberant, towering figure in American photography during the 20th century. He was born in San Francisco and lived there at least half of each year for most of his adult life. He also spent part of the year at Yosemite National Park. He first visited Yosemite at age 14 and immediately became enamored of its natural beauty. As an adult he came to believe that the splendor of the Sierra Nevadas and the American west were the source of wisdom, inspiration and spiritual renewal.

Adams served on the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club from 1934 through 1971. In this capacity, he worked tirelessly to advocate for protecting wilderness areas in the United States. He lobbied legislators and published books of his own photographs that illustrated the magnificent land worthy of saving.

To create his signature landscapes, Adams typically used a large-format view camera, so his negatives were 8 x 10 inches or 4 x 5 inches and that ensured his photographs would capture a great deal of detail and sensitive attention to lighting. Indeed, an Adams’s print is characterized by its clarity and wide range of tones from white to deep black.

The exhibition includes several large format cameras like the kind Adams used; these are generously on loan from the Photo Center of the Capital District in Troy, N.Y. The exhibition also includes Adams’s own tripod, on loan from his former assistant, Joe Englander.

Here at the Museum, we sincerely hope you will take advantage of this rare opportunity in Central New York to see the remarkable vision of nature that Adams gave us. There are many interesting interpretive programs and tours planned to enhance your experience, as well. Please visit our website to learn more.

Ansel Adams: Masterworks will be on view through Sunday, January 8, 2012.

This exhibition is organized by the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, California. Exhibition tour management by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, California.  Sponsored by the MetLife Foundation, with thanks to The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc., our 75^th Anniversary Partner.