The Huntington acquires major trove of Ansel Adams work

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino announced this afternoon that it has acquired a full set of Ansel Adams portfolios that the California photographer shot and printed himself between 1948 and 1976. Adams referred to the seven limited-edition portfolios as "an excellent cross section of my work," per the Huntington.

"Each of the portfolios contains between 10 and 15 pictures selected and printed by the artist himself. There are personal favorites and iconic early career images, such as Monolith, the Face of Half Dome. Adams often referred to making Monolith as a creative epiphany, a moment when he first began to envision the finished print’s look."

Adams first became well known for this and other photos from Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada.

Monolith, the face of Half Dome, 1927. Photograph by Ansel Adams (1902–1984). Gelatin silver print, 11 ¼ x 8 in. © 2015 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. Gift of George Melvin Byrne and Barbara S. Barrett-Byrne.

The Huntington also acquired 420 works by photographer William R. Current. More at the Huntington's blog.