Ansel Adams' appreciation for water was never far from the surface. He was drawn to the subject in all its forms, from rain, fog, mist and clouds to ice and snow. He also photographed water's effects in tide pools, weathered buildings and erosion patterns. His fascination with surf and crashing waves fed his interest in waterfalls and rapids in the High Sierra. In Yellowstone, it fueled his photographs of Old Faithful. As in the famous Surf Sequence ca.1940, Adams often photographed water in ways that embrace seriality, motion, and time as meaningful modern themes.

At the Water's Edge combines famous images with extraordinary but lesser-known examples, expanding knowledge of Adams' work and building appreciation for the artist as an important and innovative modernist.

Support for the exhibition was provided by David H. Arrington, the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, and the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum.

Touring Schedule
Tour duration: June 9, 2012 to December 8, 2013
Peabody Essex Museum | pem.org | June 9 - October 8, 2012
Royal Museums Greenwich | rmg.co.uk | November 9, 2012 - April 28, 2013
Australian National Maritime Museum | anmm.gov.au | July 4 - Dec. 8, 2013

Media Partner
The Boston Globe

Ansel Adams: At the Water's Edge is part of PEM's Year of Photography, which is sponsored in part by WBUR, Boston's NPR news station, Hunt's Photo & Video, and Canon.