Ansel Adams Photographs Coming to Berkshire Museum

Aspens, Northern New Mexico, 1958. Photograph by Ansel Adams
©2012 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust

(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – An exhibition of photographs by Ansel Adams, perhaps the most popular, critically acclaimed and influential American photographer of all time, best known for his black-and-white nature photographs of the American West, comes to Berkshire Museum beginning Saturday, February 9, 2013, when an opening reception will be held at 5p.m. for Ansel Adams: Masterworks, which will be on view through June 2, 2013. The exhibition features 48 works by Adams (1902 – 1984), about two-thirds of a selection Adams made late in his life to serve as a succinct representation of his life’s work.

Called “The Museum Set,” these works reveal the importance Adams placed on the drama and splendor of natural environments, from Yosemite National Park to a secluded grove of aspens; from the Sierra Nevada range to a barn in Cape Cod. Included are many of Adams’ most famous and best-loved photographs which encompass the full scope of his work: elegant details of nature, architectural studies, portraits, and the breathtaking landscapes for which he is revered. The exhibition also includes a photo portrait of Ansel Adams by James Alinder. The images are from the Collection of the Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, Calif.

In a career that spanned more than five decades, Ansel Adams became one of America’s most beloved landscape photographers and one of its more respected environmentalists. There are few artists whose name and works represent the extraordinary level of popular recognition and artistic achievement as that of Ansel Adams. Adams profoundly influenced the course of 20th century photography not only through his sumptuous and technically precise images, but also by means of his devotion to advancing the cause of photography as an art form. As an artist, educator, innovator, and writer, he helped establish many of the institutions that have come to represent the highest aspirations of the medium of photography.

The collection was donated to Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, Calif., by Dr. Fidel Realyvasquez in 2002. Turtle Bay Exploration Park is a 300-acre cultural complex located in Northern California on the Sacramento River. Its facilities include a museum with permanent, interactive exhibits and two large special exhibition galleries. The traveling exhibition is organized by Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, Calif., in association with Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles.

 

Portrait of Ansel Adams by James Alinder. Courtesy Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, CA.

PROGRAMS

Exhibition Opening Reception

Saturday, February 9, 5-7 p.m., free and open to the public

Ansel Adams: Masterworks

From the Collection of the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, CA

February 9 – June 2, 2013

This exhibition of forty-eight photographs by Ansel Adams (1902-1984), selected by Adams himself to represent the best of his life’s work, includes iconic landscapes and architectural studies.

 

Nature Magnified: Photographs by Andreas Feininger

February 2 – June 2, 2013

Photographer Andreas Feininger, most well-known for his depictions of the city of New York, also excelled at capturing the intricate details of nature. A selection of Feininger’s unique shell photographs are paired with actual shells from the Museum’s expansive natural science collection.

 

Berkshire Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit Berkshire Museum or call 413.443.7171. Museum admission is $13 for adults and $6 for children. Members and children aged three and under enjoy free admission.

The Museum is located at 39 South Street on Route 7 in downtown Pittsfield. Berkshire Museum was established by Zenas Crane in 1903 as a museum of art and natural history. Little Cinema is open year-round; Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation, Aquarium, and other exhibits are ongoing.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.