Ansel Adams
- landscape painting
Adams broke his nose in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He was four years old when the ground shook, unhurt in the initial tremor, then thrown face-first into a garden wall during an aftershock three hours later. The nose stayed crooked for the rest of his life. Combined with a natural shyness, it made school difficult; he was dismissed from several private schools for being restless and inattentive. His father pulled him out at twelve and educated him at home.
Biography
He taught himself piano at the same age, after hearing his sixteen-year-old neighbour Henry Cowell (later a significant avant-garde composer) play on the family instrument. For years he was serious enough about music to consider it as a career. As late as 1945 he had a recording made of his interpretations of Beethoven and Chopin.
His first camera came at fourteen, during a family trip to Yosemite in 1916. A Kodak No. 1 Box Brownie. A park ranger introduced him to the landscape painter Harry Best, whose daughter Virginia he later married. At seventeen he joined the Sierra Club and spent summers as caretaker of their Yosemite lodge. He would serve on the Club's board for thirty-seven years.
In 1930 he met the photographer Paul Strand in New Mexico and saw negatives of a clarity and tonal richness that made Pictorialism, the soft-focus style still dominant, look evasive. Adams committed to sharp focus and the full tonal range from pure black to pure white. He co-founded Group f/64, named after the smallest aperture on a large-format lens, which produces maximum depth of field. The name was a technical specification and a philosophical statement.
His grandfather had founded a lumber business that cut down redwood forests. Adams spent the second half of his life photographing what was left and arguing that it should be preserved. His photographs of Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada and the Southwest are inseparable from the conservation movement they helped build.
Timeline
- 1928Painted "Mirror Lake, Morning, Yosemite National Park" aged 26.
- 1933Painted "Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming" aged 31.
- 1936Painted "North Palisade from Windy Point" aged 34.
- 1943Painted "Farm, farm workers, Mt. Williamson in background, Manzanar Relocation Center, California" aged 41.
- 1943Painted "Female interns practicing calisthenics at Manzanar internment camp" aged 41.
Notable Works
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Where to See Ansel Adams
3 museums worldwide.
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182 works
National Gallery of Art
Washington D.C., United States
Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00, Sun 11:00–18:00 · Free
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1 works
National Archives at College Park
College Park, United States
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Frequently Asked Questions
Ansel adams art movement?
In 1930, Ansel Adams met photographer Paul Strand and committed to sharp focus and a full tonal range. He co-founded Group f/64, named after the smallest aperture on a large-format lens, which produces maximum depth of field.How did ansel adams get into photography?
Ansel Adams's first camera came at fourteen, during a family trip to Yosemite in 1916. A park ranger introduced him to the landscape painter Harry Best.Is ansel adams still alive?
No, Ansel Adams died in 1984.Was ansel adams married?
At seventeen, Ansel Adams joined the Sierra Club and spent summers as caretaker of their Yosemite lodge. A park ranger introduced him to the landscape painter Harry Best, whose daughter Virginia he later married.What is ansel adams best known for?
Ansel Adams is known as the most popular photographer in America. His photographs of Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada and the Southwest are inseparable from the conservation movement they helped build.When did ansel adams die?
Ansel Adams died in 1984 at the age of 82.When did ansel adams start photography?
Ansel Adams got his first camera at fourteen, during a family trip to Yosemite in 1916. It was a Kodak No. 1 Box Brownie.Who was ansel adams inspired by?
In 1930, Ansel Adams met the photographer Paul Strand in New Mexico and saw negatives of a clarity and tonal richness that made Pictorialism, the soft-focus style still dominant, look evasive.Why did ansel adams become a photographer?
Ansel Adams's first camera came at fourteen, during a family trip to Yosemite in 1916. The camera was a Kodak No. 1 Box Brownie. He was later introduced to the painter Harry Best, and he would spend summers as caretaker of the Sierra Club's Yosemite lodge.Is ansel adams alive?
No, Ansel Adams died in 1984.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Ansel Adams.
- [1] museum National Archives at College Park Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Cleveland Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum National Gallery of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum Museum of Modern Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum The Phillips Collection Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum Israel Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] book Ansel Adams; Beaumont Newhall; Nancy Newhall; Louise Dahl-Wolfe; Aaron Siskind; Richard Avedon; Harry Callahan; Lee Friedlander; Tina Modotti; W. Eugene Smith; Paul Strand; Edward Weston; Garry Winogrand; Amy Rule, Ansel Adams; Beaumont Newhall; Nancy Newhall; Louise Dahl-Wolfe; Aaron Siskind; Richard Avedon; Harry Callahan; Lee Friedlander; Tina Modotti; W. Eugene Smith; Paul Strand; Edward Weston; Garry Winogrand; Amy Rule - Original sources _ art and ar Used for: biography.
- [8] book Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author, Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author - The Art Book_ New Edition, Mini Format Used for: biography.
- [9] book Carol Strickland and John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-07-15. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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