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Ansel Adams in Hawai'i
"Ansel Adams in Hawai'i," an exhibition of photographs, goes
on view June 27 through August 4, 2002, in the Henry R. Luce Gallery at
the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The influential landscape photographer Ansel
Adams (1902-1984) was a conservationist and nature lover who specialized
in interpreting the American landscape in the purest and most direct manner
possible. He was deeply impressed with the expressive possibilities of "straight"
photography and attempted to reveal the poetry of external reality through
the optical objectivity of the camera and meticulous printing. (left:
In the Rain Forest, Hawaii National Park, ca. 1957, gelatin-silver
print, Gift of Mr and Mrs. Henry B. Clark, Jr., 1991, 21,004)
Although best recognized for his photographs of Yosemite
and the California Coast, Adams also created stunning, but little-known
photographs of Hawaii. Adams traveled to Hawaii in the 1950s, commissioned
by the Bishop National Bank of Hawaii (founded 1858) to photograph the islands
and its people for publication in The Islands of Hawaii (1958), a
special commemorative centennial photo-documentary book featuring his work
with commentary by Edward Joesting. Adams returned to the Islands a few
years later and published a second volume of Hawaii photographs, An Introduction
to 
Hawaii (1964), again with commentary by Edward Joesting. The Academy's
exhibition will bring together and present to the public for the first time
a selection of vintage and modern prints of Hawaii by Adams. (right:
Lava Flow with Mauna Loa in the Background, Hawaii, ca. 1957, gelatin
silver print, First Hawaiian Bank Collection)
The exhibition will feature prints from the collections
of the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the Center for Creative Photography at
the University of Arizona, and other organizations. The prints, including
stunning images of Hawaii's untouched landscapes; its thriving urban environment;
its commercial, agricultural, ranching, industrial, and military activities;
its historic and cultural resources; and its diverse population, will not
only reflect the land, face, and spirit of Hawaii at mid-twentieth century,
it will showcase the dramatic beauty, technical excellence, and expressive
power of Adam's work.
Anne Hammond, a scholar in the history of photography and
an Ansel Adams specialist, will guest curate the exhibition and prepare
an essay, the first ever published, on Adam's work in Hawaii. Jennifer Saville,
the Academy's Curator of Western Art, will serve as project director.
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articles and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists for biographical information on historic artists.
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