The Huntington has acquired all seven of the limited- edition portfolios of photographs that iconic California photographer Ansel Adams created in his lifetime, it was reported today.
The seven portfolios contain 90 images from throughout his career, representing what he once described as “an excellent cross section of my work,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
The portfolios were a gift of George Melvin Byrne and Barbara S. Barrett- Byrne, The Times reported. George, a doctor and amateur photographer, acquired the portfolios directly from Adams after becoming acquainted with the artist via one of his photography workshops in Yosemite.
The most incredible part, according to Huntington photography curator Jennifer Watts, is that the portfolios were kept in storage for decades. The result, she writes in a blog post about the acquisition, is that “the photographs look fresh and new.”
Particularly striking are some of the Los Angeles-area images that make their way into the collection, including an image of a cemetery angel surrounded by oil derricks in Long Beach — a surreal image of industry and beauty, wrote The Times.
The museum has also acquired 420 works by the 20th century Pasadena photographer William R. Current, who is well-known for his images of Pueblo dwellings, The Times reported.
