ANSEL ADAMS

Even four decades after his death, his astonishing nature photographs continue to inspire people around the world. Ansel Adams (1902 – 1984), one of the most-famous American 20th Century photographers, enjoys cult status, not only as a pioneer of black-and-white and landscape photography, but also as a committed environmentalist, teacher, and humanist.

Almost a century ago, in 1932, Adams co-founded the famous Group f/64, along with other greats such as Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and others. Their goal was to revolutionize and modernize photography, which was then still pictorial. The goal was to claim photography as an independent form of art, both aesthetically and technically. Today, every child in the United States knows who Ansel Adams was, even before the U.S. Postal Service issued 16 commemorative Ansel Adams stamps in 2024.

In the last 15 years alone, Adams’ photographs have been shown in around 100 solo and 300 group exhibitions worldwide. Already during his lifetime, the artist had numerous exhibitions, including the first-ever 1939 photography exhibition of the museum as well as the 1979 tribute exhibition «Ansel Adams and the West» at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

At auctions in New York, London, and Paris, his large-format, coveted Silver Gelatin prints meanwhile fetch prices in the upper six-figure range. Nevertheless, there have been only a few museum exhibitions of his work in Europe to date, and apparently none in Switzerland.

As a tribute to a visionary artist, pioneer, and environmentalist, WBB GALLERY presents a total of 23 original vintage photographs by Ansel Adams, based on a Swiss private collection. It is time to honor this pioneer of modern Fine Art photography in Europe as well. Adams is and remains a luminary, teaching us to recognize and protect nature in all its fragile beauty – a topic that could hardly be more relevant, considering overpopulation, overexploitation, and climate crisis. This is especially true in the U.S.A., where the photographer dedicated his life to protecting natural parks such as Yosemite (Sierra Nevada) and, thereby, exerted a significant influence on environmental policy, particularly during the neoliberal presidency of Ronald Reagan.

One year before his death, in 1983, the already world-famous photographer said in an interview with David Sheff: «It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.» Unfortunately, it seems that not much has changed since then, given current political developments. One more reason to uphold and to honor Adams’ legacy as one of the great masters of West Coast nature photography, also known as Straight or Pure Photography.

The WBB GALLERY team looks forward to your esteemed visit.