ANSEL ADAMS
Mountain,
Water,
Cloud,
& Sea
About the Exhibition
America’s most famous landscapist as he has never been seen before.
Drawn from the family collection of Ansel Adams’ granddaughter, the jazz musician Virginia Adams Mayhew, this unique exhibition features stunning landscape photographs made across the United States, especially in Ansel’s beloved Sierra Nevada Mountains and its crown jewel, Yosemite Valley. It brings together the themes for which Ansel Adams is rightly revered— his unfailing eye for beauty, his achievements as a photographer, and his love of nature and conservation.
Mountain, Water, Cloud, & Sea also reflects Adams’ family history. Adams befriended the landscape painter Harry Best (1863-1936) in 1921, the owner of local Yosemite establishment, Best’s Studio. Introduced to Harry’s daughter Virginia Best (1904-2000), Ansel and Virginia began a courtship resulting in their marriage in 1928. On Harry’s death in 1936, Virginia inherited Best’s Studio, which would eventually become the Ansel Adams Gallery.
The exhibition includes a powerful example of Best’s landscape painting, a canvas of Yosemite Valley that has been handed down through the family. Best was a remarkable painter—President Theodore Roosevelt himself bought one of his pictures and had it hung in the White House. Visitors will be able to compare Best’s painted interpretation of Yosemite with his son-in-law’s later, iconic photographs.
Comprised of 43 works chosen for their quality and interest, the exhibition includes a mix of famous pictures and lesser-known masterpieces. It includes a number of Adams’ most recognizable photographs: Moonrise, Hernandez, 1941; Frozen Lake and Cliffs, The Sierra Nevada, 1932; Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Valley, 1929; White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, 1942; and Aspens, Northern New Mexico, 1958. It also includes a mammoth, 4’ wide print of Ansel’s iconic Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada, 1944.
An unforgettable print of the legendary Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, 1927, produced for reproduction, provides a window on Adams’ studio practice and the meticulous care he put into publishing his prints. Covered in original studio stamps, it is presented in a two-sided frame so visitors can see the front and back of the photograph as an object, complete with marks and notations.
Rarely-seen photographs such as Tidepool, Point Arena, 1956 and Alaskan Cedars, Cascades, Washington, 1966 round out the selection. Also included is Late Evening, Monument Valley, Utah, c.1950—an early example of Adams’ use of color photography.
Mountain, Water, Cloud, & Sea will inspire and delight, providing a memorable new window on the career of one of America’s best-loved artists.
Ansel Adams, Winter Sunrise, The Sierra Nevada, From Lone Pine, California, 1944, gelatin silver print
Ansel Adams, White Mountains Range, Thunderclouds, From Buttermilk County, Near Bishop, California, 1959, gelatin silver print
Ansel Adams, Sandbar, Rio Grande, Big Bend National Park, Texas, 1947, gelatin silver print
Ansel Adams, Stream, Sea, Clouds, Rodeo Lagoon, Marin County, California, 1962, gelatin silver print
Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941, gelatin silver print
Ansel Adams, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Monument, California, c. 1942, gelatin silver print
Ansel Adams, Grass and Pool, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley, California, 1935, gelatin silver print
Ansel Adams, Evening Clouds and Pool, East Side of The Sierra Nevada From The Owens Valley, California, c .1962, gelatin silver print
Harry Best (Best's Studio), Yosemite Valley, before 1936, oil on canvas
Exhibition Details
WORKS
43 photographs; 1 painting
DIMENSIONS
See checklist.
SPACE REQUIREMENTS
215 linear feet (65.5 linear meters)
INQUIRIES
exhibitions@curatorial.org | 626.577.0044
FEE
Please inquire.
CREDIT
Ansel Adams photographs are copyright © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust
Checklist
