The story of the California man who bought some negatives at a Fresno garage sale that he and others report to be the long lost work of Ansel Adams and worth $200 million has taken another turn. According to the LA Times, The Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson, a long standing authority on the work of Ansel Adams and home to all 44,000 of his original negatives, has stated that they have no reason to believe the garage sale negatives are the work of Adams. This certainly does not help the case that a $45 garage sale find is not worth $200 million. But it probably will not dash the hopes of bargain hunters hoping to find the next long lost work of art that has been hidden away in someone’s attic for 50 years.
The mystery of the Ansel Adams long lost negatives that I recently wrote about deepens. As reported by KTVU in Oakland, CA someone has stepped up to cast more doubt on the authenticity of the negatives. The family of Ansel Adams claims the negatives bought at a garage sale for $45 are not the work of Adams. Experts disagree and say they are his work and are worth upwards of $200 million. But now a California woman has presented images taken by her uncle that are remarkably similar to those that are said to be from Adams. So similar in fact that one Adams expert is questioning if the garage sale finds are in fact the work of Adams.
So the authenticity is still up in the air and the owner of the negatives can’t quite collect his $200 million yet.
Most avid garage sale shoppers dream of finding something with a $1 price tag that turns out to be worth much, much more. The original Picasso thought to be another replica print; the vase that really was “Made in China,” but during the Ming Dynasty; the long lost hand written memoirs of insert famous name here. It has happened from time to time and like picking the 6 winning lottery numbers, many have dreamed of such find. One such find by a California man has caused quite a stir with experts claiming he has authentic long lost negatives created by none other than Ansel Adams while the famous photographer’s descendants are saying “no way.”
Experts on Adams along with hand writing analysts concluded that the $45 garage sale buy of 65 negatives are in fact early work of Ansel Adams and are valued at $200 million dollars. Matthew Adams, Ansel’s grandson, says they are not his grandfather’s work. He claims the handwriting on the negatives that the experts attribute to his grandmother, Virginia Adams, is not a match and she would never have made the spelling errors found on the negatives. He also claims his grandfather’s meticulous record keeping and organization would never have allowed for losing such a valuable piece of his collection. The experts are standing by their conclusion however.
In the end, they are worth what somebody is willing to pay for them. If the dispute raises questions of authenticity in the minds of potential buyers, then they may just be worth the $45 that was originally paid. However, if the Ansel Adams family’s doubts are silenced with enough scientific evidence there may be a lot more garage sale shoppers out there hoping they stumble upon such a win fall.
You can read the full story Ansel Adams’ Grandson: ‘Lost’ Negatives Aren’t Real from AOL News.
The Sedona Photo Fest 2010 is a week long event celebrating photography in the natural beauty of Sedona, AZ. Put on by the Sedona Arts Center the Photo Fest runs from July 18th to the 25th and is packed with something for just about everyone. Here is a sampling of some of the events that I think look particularly interesting. You can download the full Sedona Photo Fest program of events here.
- Sedona landscape photography competition
- Sedona International Film Festival Photo Fest Cinema Night – Features two films: Resurrection: Glen Canyon and A New Vision for the American West and Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film
- A three day symposium filled with speakers and panels is the center point of the Photo Fest. A few of the presentations that stand out to me are:
- Fine Art Exhibit and Sale – Sedona is known for its galleries and many of them will be featuring photography during the event.
Check the Sedona Photo Fest 2010 site for information on pricing and how to buy your tickets and have fun if you are able to attend.
On Friday, May 7th, at the After Hours Gallery in downtown Phoenix, a unique art project entitled 26 Blocks will be unveiled. The project has paired 26 of the best photographers in the Phoenix metro area with 26 of the best writers and assigned the duos one of 26 downtown Phoenix city blocks. Their assignment was to capture their assigned block’s past, present or future in one photograph (with up to four images in it) and 500 words. Sculptor, Rafael Navarro joined the writers and photographers as well to combine the essence of the entire 26 Blocks into one work of sculpture.
I have spent some time perusing the 26 Blocks web site (which in itself is pretty well done) and this looks like a very exciting project. It combines three things I love, photography, writing and downtown, urban environments. I am definitely looking forward to seeing this exhibit. If you miss opening night on Friday the project will be on display at the After Hours Gallery from May 7th through the 31st before it goes on a tour of Phoenix (tour details are still to be announced).
On of my favorite places to photograph nature and wildlife, birds in particular, is the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, Arizona. I have spent quite a few early mornings there with camera in hand. The Preserve is supported by the Riparian Institute which has the mission to:
To promote awareness and appreciation of Arizona’s ecology and natural history, particularly desert and riparian environments, through:
- education and recreation programs for a diversity of visitors, and
- research and development of strategies to reserve and protect these unique environments
As with most organizations such as this fund raising to support the mission is critical. The Riparian Institute is no different and they are holding a Feathered Friends Festival to raise both funds and awareness as well as provide a day of fun for the community. The festival is on Saturday, March 27th and starts with bird walks at 8 am and runs through 2 pm. Along with exhibits, activities for kids and live music they will be holding a fund raising raffle. Which is where I come in. One of my prints taken in the Preserve will be part of the raffle to support this great cause. So be sure to head out to Gilbert, at Guadalupe and Greenfield on Saturday to support the Riparian Institute and the environment it protects.
The photography of Robert Frank has often been called revolutionary. He worked at a time when the classical rules of photography were rarely departed from, yet he departed. NPR says he “…single-handedly altered the course of photography…” His book, The Americans, was a documentation of an all too familiar subject, American life. But Frank’s departure from the rules that dominated how a photograph was composed and presented up until that point made his work and book stand out. Check out NPR’s coverage of Robert Frank and a new exhibit of his work at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art by clicking here. (I wish I was closer to NY!)
