Collecting Ansel Adams Photography
Collecting photography is an expression of aesthetics and ideals. You respond to a work, it has created an emotion or idea or ideal. Bringing that inspiration home is the next step. At The Ansel Adams Gallery, we feel strongly that the art we live with on a day-to-day basis has a long term impact on the psyche. Inspiration is internalized.
As emotion centric as this is, collecting original artwork is not a step to be taken lightly. A little structure and discipline can save money and heartache over time, and lead to a richer experience and inspiration.
Below is a brief summary with links to more detailed information.
- Buy what you love. Don’t buy purely for investment. The work will be appreciated for years, with luck it will also appreciate. Ansel Adams is considered the “gold standard” in photography, but even gold goes up and down.
- Know what you are buying. Familiarize yourself with the work of the artist. Not just the image, but how it was created, the intention of the print, the edition. Ansel’s career spanned 60 years of tremendous societal and technological change. Those changes reflect in his work, and apples are not oranges.
- Know what the condition is. We believe the condition of a print is extremely important, damage once seen quickly becomes all that is seen. The emotion goes from elation to disappointment. There are no industry standards in describing or rating condition. We have attempted to define conditions for ourselves, but they relate only to us.
- Know the market. There are many players in the market, and the internet has done wonders to provide data and background. Be aware of what you know, and what you don’t.
- Buy from someone who will stand behind the work and the sale, or acknowledge the risk associated to purchasing without that confidence.