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Boards and Thistles,
San Francisco,
by Ansel Adams, c. 1932,
Gelatin silver print.
Oakland Museum of California:
Gift of Mrs. John Paul Edwards.

Link to Previous Shows:

Drawing From Nature, 1999
The 4th Dimension, 2000
A Continuous Thread, 2000
Elemental Interpretations, 2001
Alaska Gold, 2001
California Paintings, 2002
Of Myth and Memory, 2002
Puppets of the World, 2003
Inspired Objects, 2003
Northwest Coast Indian Art Traditions, 2003
Audubon of the West:
Andrew Jackson Grayson, 2003
Mendocino Humor, 2004
Current GHM Exhibit

May 29 to July 25, 2004 Maroon Bells, Near Aspen, Colorado, by Ansel Adams, 1951, Gelatin silver print. Oakland Museum of California: Gift of Anonymous Donor. Nearly twenty years after his death, Adams is still America's most beloved photographer. Idealized as a bearded sage who combined impeccable technique with ardent environmentalism, his best known images have become familiar and comforting icons of the American landscape. Yet the young Adams was a product of diverse aesthetic and human influences. The inspiration of Yosemite is easily seen, but the influence of other artists on the budding photographer is less often recognized. Nineteenth-century landscape artists such as Timothy O'Sullivan and Carleton Watkins naturally appealed to Adams; it is more surprising to note his admiration for Alfred Stieglitz, Arnold Genthe, Dorothea Lange, Judy Dater and Ted Orland. Adams was fortunate to reside in the midst of an unusually colorful and vocal community of Northern California photographers. Berkeley Storefront, by Willard Van Dyke, c. 1934, Gelatin silver print. Lent by Barbara M. Van Dyke. Adams was a curator, teacher and writer as well as photographer. Opinionated and confident in his own art, he was also well-versed in the history of photography. Throughout his career, from novice to elder statesman of the camera, Adams enjoyed rewarding, if sometimes prickly, relationships with his photographic peers. The High Sierra from Glacier Point, Autumn Moon, Yosemite National Park, by Ansel Adams, 1944, Gelatin silver print. Oakland Museum of California: Dudley P. Bell Fund. Ansel Adams: Inspiration and Influence presents the artist in the context of a century and a half of great photography. By viewing the work of Adams next to that of his predecessors, colleagues and students, we can see that his artistic development occurred against a backdrop of broader developments in photography, helping us to understand better the depth of his contribution to the arts. Drew Heath Johnson Curator of Photography, Art Department Oakland Museum of California Winter Sunrise, The Sierra Nevada, from Lone Pine, California, by Ansel Adams, 1944, Gelatin silver print. Oakland Museum of California: Dudley P. Bell Fund. Trees and Cliffs, by Ansel Adams, 1954, Gelatin silver print. Gift of the Women’s Board. Photo credit: John Hartz.

Lecture, Book Signing and Opening Reception
Sunday, May 30 at 2 p.m.

Lecture, Book Signing and Opening Reception features Drew Heath Johnson, Curator of Photography at the Oakland Museum and curator of the exhibition. He will present a slide lecture on Ansel Adams and his place in California photography. Following the lecture, there will be a reception where Johnson will be signing his book, Capturing Light: Masterpieces of California Photography, 1850 to the Present. The event is free.

"One With Beauty"
Sunday, July 11 at 2 p.m.

“One With Beauty,” a slide lecture by Mary Street Alinder, noted Ansel Adams biographer and curator. This extraordinary intimate view of the life and work of Ansel Adams has been presented at museums and universities across the country. Entrance to the general public is $3, members are free.

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Link to previous shows:
Drawing From Nature, 1999
The 4th Dimension, 2000
A Continuous Thread, 2000
Elemental Interpretations, 2001
Alaska Gold, 2001
California Paintings 1910 - 1940, 2002
Of Myth and Memory, 2002
Puppets of the World, 2003
Inspired Objects, 2003
Northwest Coast Indian Art Traditions, 2003
Audubon of the West: Andrew Jackson Grayson, 2003
Mendocino Humor: from Light to Dark, 2004
Current GHM Exhibit