Lost Work Of Ansel Adams
Posted on 27 July 2010 by LynThomas in Society
Ansel Adams is widely known as the iconic ‘father of American photography’ because of his lasting and innovative work with nature photography and landscapes.
Adams was a California based photographer who transformed images of mountains, churches, lakes, and trees into sweeping black and whites that overwhelm with power.
His vast collection of work will now be supplemented by the discovery of 65 glass plates believed to have been taken between 1919 and 1930. Purchased for $45 a decade ago at a garage sale by Rick Norsigian, these 65 photographs are being considered the “missing link” in Adams’ career and were once thought lost in a fire.
Art appraiser David W. Streets said he conservatively estimated the negatives’ value at $200 million, based on current sales of Adams’ prints and the potential for selling reproductions.
The glass negatives were assessed by a team of experts, over 6-month examination. They were believed to have been destroyed in a fire in 1937, at his Yosemite National Park studio.
Norsigian, a construction worker and painter said he purchased the negatives 10 years ago, from a man who said he had purchased them from a salvage warehouse in Los Angeles. Norsigian said he tried to contact the man, after learning of the true value, but to no avail.
In the beginning he never suspected they were Adams’ work. Finally he placed the 8½-by-6½-inch negatives in a bank vault and three years ago and sought to have them verified.
Adams died in 1986, at 82, leaving behind a rich heritage of black and white photographs, after developing the legendary Zone System, which determined proper exposure and adjustment of the contrast in the final print. His photographs were recognized for their clarity and exceptional depth.
A review from the Washington Post said, “His photographs are like portraits of the giant peaks, which seem to be inhabited by mythical gods.”
Ansel Adams' Photographs
His timeless and visually stunning photos, from a 60 year long career, have been reproduced on calendars, posters and in numerous books.
His lasting legacy is that he helped elevate photography to an art, comparable with painting and music, equally capable of expressing emotion and beauty.
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