Although Ansel Adams is known almost exclusively for his landscape photography of the American West there is much more to the body of work he has left behind than just those famous images. NPR did a story recently on the Street Photography of Ansel Adams that is worth reading and viewing the slide show of Adams’ non-landscape work that is now housed in the Los Angeles Public Library’s art collection. Like many photographer’s today it was difficult for Adams to make a living in the 1930s and 40s on his art photography alone. So he worked on commissioned photography as well. Those works were thought to be of little value at one time but now the Adams name alone significantly boosts their value. It helps that the work is very good as well.
Speaking
of Ansel Adams’ work I recently bought the book Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs
. Although it focuses almost entirely on the body of work he was best know for, the landscape photography of the American wilderness, it does find room among the 400 images for a sampling of his other work. Both portraits and architectural photography done by Adams over his 60 year career are represented in the book. It is a great collection and well worth adding to your photography library. Everyone has one of those don’t they?
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.
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.
Update: Be sure to read an update to this post with more detail on how the photographers created their pieces here.
26 Blocks is an art project that “…showcases the work of 26 of Metro Phoenix’s best photographers working with 26 of Metro Phoenix’s best writers.” They worked together to offer their interpretation of one of 26 downtown Phoenix city blocks through photography and the written word. Then the sculptor, Rafael Navarro, topped off each presentation with a 4″ x 4″ square block sculpture of each block. The exhibit began at the After Hours Gallery in Downtown Phoenix last month and in now starting a tour of venues around the city. I missed the opening at After Hours but was able to see the exhibit at the University of Arizona College of Medicine’s downtown Phoenix campus last Thursday, the first stop on its city tour.
The College of Medicine show was not in a normal gallery space. Rather it was in the auditorium of the old Phoenix Union High School that has been renovated and now houses the college. As a result a traditional gallery layout was not possible. So each city block’s pieces were propped up on tables around the large auditorium room. I do not think the unconventional setting distracted from the works however. In fact, the history of the old high school building now having been re-purposed and given a new life, almost added another layer to the stories of the Phoenix city blocks being told through these photographers, writers and sculptor.
One of the most interesting aspects of this show was the unique interpretations each pair had of their individual city blocks. Blocks that may not have been separated by more than one street could seem miles away as each photographer and writer approached them from very unique perspectives and visions.
The photography ranged from the very straightforward architectural and portrait to much more abstract interpretations involving post-processed works.
Two that stood out as favorites to me were Block E from photographer Chris Loomis and Block V from Stephen G. Dreiseszun.
Chris’ photograph of Block E, the lot of dirt that splits 3rd St into two separate lanes to the east and west of it, just south of Roosevelt, stood out to me for two reasons. 1) It was a bit more on the abstract side and 2) whereas most of the other lots were developed and alive with urban life, this lot was in more of a “what once was” state being dirt and foundations of former structures. So some creative license had to be taken to make an image out of a vacant lot. Appearing as though it was taken from high above, crop-circle like shapes fill the dirt and weeded lot while a girl in bright blue appears to be dancing inside the shapes. Chris’ photograph is a great example of the art of photography to me. The artist saw what was and turned it into his own vision through photography.
Stephen Dreiseszun’s photograph of Block V was very different than Block E. Block V encompasses the construction site between Washington and Jefferson on the North and South and 1st Ave and Central Ave. on the West and East. The very urban scene of high rise construction was captured by Stephen beautifully. The lighting of late evening makes the sky a deep, rich blue while the lights of the street sign and construction crane highlight these urban elements. The perspective captured in the photography for Block V is one that the casual passer by may not take the time to notice. But this image captures what I feel the 26 Blocks project is all about, seeing urban downtown Phoenix at more than everyday street level views and taking the time to stop and notice the subtle beauty of the built environment.
The pairing of two art forms, photography and writing, has resulted in a show that speaks to a broad audience. The art lover, the lover of the written word, the urban dweller, the suburban admirer of the urban environment and fans of a diverse and dynamic city such as Phoenix.
26 Blocks is on Tour through the remainder of the year at venues around the Valley. This is a unique project that is well worth seeing regardless of which of those categories you fall into, or even if you fall far outside of those categories. Check for tour dates and locations and make sure you see the 26 Blocks exhibit before it is gone.
Every so often I come across a photographer whose work I connect with. Phillip Toledano’s photo essay, Days With My Father is one such work. I have done very little portrait photography and am drawn much more to non-human subjects such as nature and architecture. But Phillip Toledano’s portraits of his father in the last years of his life are an amazing collection that represents the type of portrait photography I would love to do if I did portraits. They are not conventional studio portraits, rather they are visual stories of the subject that draw you into their life.
In addition to the website, Days With My Father, Mr. Toledano has also published this collection in a book of the same title, Days With My Father
. Check out other Photography Books by Phillip Toledano
too as his work is very thought provoking and well done.
