Group f.64.

Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and the Community of Artists Who Revolutionized American Photography.

Text by Mary Street Alinder.

Bloomsbury USA, 2014. 416 pp., 50 illustrations, 6½x9¼x1½".

Group f.64 is perhaps the most famous movement in the history of photography, counting among its members Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Willard Van Dyke, and Edward Weston. Revolutionary in their day, Group f.64 was one of the first modern art movements equally defined by women. From the San Francisco Bay Area, its influence extended internationally, contributing significantly to the recognition of photography as a fine art.

The group—first identified as such in a 1932 exhibition—was comprised of strongly individualist artists, brought together by a common philosophy, and held together in a tangle of dynamic relationships. They shared a conviction that photography must emphasize its unique capabilities—those that distinguished it from other arts—in order to establish the medium’s identity. Their name, f.64, they took from a very small lens aperture used with their large format cameras, a pinprick that allowed them to capture the greatest possible depth of field in their lustrous, sharply detailed prints. In today’s digital world, these “straight” photography champions are increasingly revered.

Mary Alinder is uniquely positioned to write this first group biography. A former assistant to Ansel Adams, she knew most of the artists featured. Just as importantly, she understands the art. Featuring fifty photographs by and of its members, Group f.64 details a transformative period in art with narrative flair.

Mary Street Alinder is an independent scholar specializing in twentieth-century photography. From 1979 until his death, Alinder was chief assistant to Ansel Adams. She worked closely with him on his bestselling autobiography, which she completed posthumously. She also coedited a volume of his letters and published the definitive biography, recently revised and updated in a new edition. In addition to her writings, Alinder has curated exhibitions worldwide, including the 1987 Adams blockbuster at the de Young Museum and a 2002 Adams Centennial exhibition. Alinder has lectured internationally, from Washington, DC's National Gallery to London's Barbican Centre and China's Shanghai Cultural Center. She lives in Northern California.

Read the review by Kurt Markus on photo-eye Blog

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