The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford and The Capital Group Foundation have announced that The Center has been gifted a collection of photographs by some of the most esteemed photographers working in the United States throughout the 20th century: Ansel Adams, Edward Curtis, John Gutmann, Helen Levitt, Wright Morris, Gordon Parks, and Edward Weston.

The collection was compiled by the Capital Group, an investment service, over the last four decades. The Capital Group decided to gift the collection to The Center after a two-year search for a gallery that could best do justice to both the works and the continued study of the works. Containing original prints made by the artists themselves, the collection features works from Adams’ work in Canyon de Chelly.

Curtis’ work on his The North American Indian:

There are already three planned exhibitions over the next two years. It’s my understanding that entrance to The Center is free. So, if you happen to find yourself in the area, be sure to attend.

It’s important to note that The Center also counts original prints from Frank’s The Americans, wet plates from Muybridge, a set of Friedlander’s street photography from New York, and contact sheets and corresponding negatives from Warhol as part of its collection. Talk about an important collection of American photography.

The curator, Elizabeth Mitchell, notes how important photography has been to The Center and how these additions will improve upon the already stunning collection:

For years, the collection of photographs has been absolutely essential to how the Cantor Arts Center presents photography in our galleries and study rooms, and now this gift will transform how the museum addresses the aesthetic and social concerns of 20th-century American art.

Have any of you had the chance to go to the Cantor Arts Center? 

What’s your favorite photography gallery or show you’ve ever attended?

Images used under public domain.