The Tucson Museum of Art (TMA) has a hit on its hands with the Meredith Collection of 138 original works by Ansel Adams, created between the late 1920s and the early 1980s, currently on display.
Director Robert Knight can justifiably claim bragging rights for not only knowing about the collection, but also for being able to secure the exhibit. Of course, Tucson has the Center for Creative Photography at the university with its own free and publically accessible archives of Adams’ works so, at the moment, Tucson is blessed with an abundance of Adams’ famous and beloved black and white photographs.
Public response has been overwhelming with TMA shattering its previous attendance records. By the time the show closes on February 14, many thousands of visitors will have strolled the periwinkle and gray painted galleries, paying respectful and loving attention to the images carefully arrayed upon the walls.
In our brilliantly colorful world, where our eyes are continuously assaulted by everything we encounter — stores and their garish merchandise displays, billboards, the internet, TV — it is not surprising that humans would be attracted to the simple and monochromatic images of black and white photography. After all, the brain is very much attracted to patterns; Ansel Adams was a master at finding these in the apparently random scenes in nature that he so loved and to which he devoted his life. His passion for Western landscape and ability to render it for posterity is unmatched.
One of the ways this exhibit is unique is that Adams intended the images therein to be seen exactly as they are — this particular format, this exact size. It’s not the gigantic posters such as the New York Graphic Society reproduced beginning in the early 80s, so familiar, so dramatic and, to many, equal in scale to the majestic subject matter. Here we have a more intimate presentation, more in sync with Adams’ love of the small scale style of photography that he felt could equally well capture the grandeur. He actually objected to the enlargement of his images for this reason.
His philosophy of “visualization” is the fascinating approach he took that contributed so greatly to his work’s iconic nature; “seeing the image in his mind’s eye before pressing the shutter” to quote an accompanying text. He did not rely on chance, according to curator Julie Sasse, but was “guided by a vision, looking for a particular image, he went out and found it.”
Adams printed each of these photographs in his Carmel Highlands, CA darkroom and they were originally selected and given to The Friends of Photography to represent his legacy. When the Friends went bankrupt, Tom Meredith bought the collection as an anniversary present for his wife, Lynn.
Meredith was persuaded by his friend, TMA Director Knight, to lend it to the museum.
Future programs related to this exhibit include tours and lectures during December, January and February. Call 624-2333 or visit www.TucsonMuseumofArt.org for more information.
TMA is open Tue-Sat, 10am to 4pm; Sun, noon to 4pm. $8, adults; $6, seniors; $3, students 13 ; free for children under 12 and members; free to all the first Sunday of the month. 140 N. Main Ave.
