Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984). "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico" gelatin silver print, 1941. "Moon, Hernandez, New Mexico" was shot by Ansel Adams in the late afternoon on November 1, 1941 in the unincorporated community of Hernandez, New Mexico from a shoulder of highway US 84 / US 285. Interestingly, Adams had no idea that it would become his most popular image! This iconic work captures Adams' poetic artistry. The moon rises over a stark valley, and mountain peaks pierce the magical sky above, their verticality echoed by the countless white crosses in the church yard. According to the Ansel Adams Gallery, "To this day, it remains an enduring distillation of the American West—its desolate landscapes, its serrated peaks, its pioneering inhabitants." Size: 15" L x 18.875" W (38.1 cm x 47.9 cm) Size of matte: 23.25" L x 26.75" W (59.1 cm x 67.9 cm)

"Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico" has been collected by elite collectors and museums such as the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City (object number 467.1964). According to the MOMA curatorial statement, "Ansel Adams was deeply interested in the visual nuances made possible by photographic technology and in registering the ways that the various stages of the photographic process could be controlled by the photographer, from the exposure of the negative to its development in the darkroom. This print is one of the first of many that he made from a single negative. Attempting to convey the intensity of his experience watching the moon rise over this austere landscape, Adams progressively increased the contrast in the prints, heightening the moon’s whiteness and deepening the sky’s darkness."

This photograph was in the esteemed collection of Ginny Williams, a pioneering patron of the arts in Denver, Colorado. Sotheby's hosted a series of auctions featuring art and photography in the Ginny Williams Collection in June and July of 2020. Their press release began as follows, "Born in rural Virginia in 1927, Ginny moved to Denver, Colorado in the late 1950s with her husband, Carl Williams. An avid photographer herself, who studied with Austrian-American photojournalist and photographer Ernst Haas, her collecting journey began with classical figurative photography. Her passion and keen eye eventually prompted her to open her namesake gallery in Denver in the 1980s. While her passion for photography never waned, remaining a primary focus of both her gallery and private collection, her voracious curiosity quickly widened her curatorial focus. Over time, Ginny became increasingly courageous and experimental in her selections, venturing into Abstract Expressionism and Contemporary Art and following her artists themselves through gallery shows and museum exhibitions. As the years passed, Ginny became as much of a trailblazer as the artists she collected."

Of note: a signed "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico" gelatin silver print of the same size as this one sold for $75,000 at Christie's (May 10-25, 2022).

Provenance: private Idledale, Colorado, USA collection; ex-Ginny Williams collection, Denver, Colorado, USA

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#174097

Photograph is in very nice condition. There is a Ginny Williams Collection label on the verso with identification information. Photograph is set within a custom matte mounted to foam core. There is some slight separation between the matte and foam core at the lower corners, but the photograph is secure within the matte. Stain to lower right corner of matte as shown. Normal toning to paper and tape on verso of foam core. Please note: Although we cannot see a signature, it is possible that Ansel Adams signed this photograph on the verso, especially given that this piece was part of the notable Ginny Williams Collection. Unfortunately, given that the photograph was mounted to foam core, we cannot view the verso to confirm this.