Available exclusively from the MFA Bookstore and Shop! Since Ansel Adams emerged as this country’s first photographic “superstar” in the late 1960s, his sharp, monumentally composed landscapes have helped define how we see “America the Beautiful.” Through Adams’ lens, the light falling on the land—looks brighter, somehow better. Based on the Lane Collection, once the largest private holding of his photographs and now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, it presents more than one hundred duotone illustrations spanning the artist’s entire career, with particular emphasis on his early work. Included alongside the well-loved views of national monuments are less-known images, such as a soft-focus picture of a tree taken when Adams was just seventeen years old, rare depictions of Pueblo Indians in traditional dress, striking urban and architectural views, and portraits of artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Weston, and John Marin. The extensive text, largely based on unpublished documents and letters, describes Adams’ pivotal role in the development of twentieth-century American photography, his defining experiences in the American Southwest, and his collaboration with William and Saundra Lane in forming the collection presented here. For the beginner and connoisseur alike, this is a fresh and insightful look at one of America’s true artistic icons.

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Karen E. Haas Lane Curator of Photographs Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Rebecca A. Senf Norton Family Curator Center for Creative Photography and Phoenix Art Museum

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“A beautiful book”

Art News, Nov 2005

“Highly recommended for its beautiful reproductions and lucid narratives.”

Choice, March 2005

“This beautifully illustrated, oversized catalogue is devoted to three long essays about Adams which discuss his lifelong promotion of American photography, the importance to him of the American South-West, and the evaluation of the Adams Collection of William and Sandra Lane. “

Book News, Nov 2005