ADAMS TO WESTON EXHIBIT: Ansel Adams, American, 1902–1984, “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico,” 1941, printed 1943. Gelatin silver print. Gift of David H. McAlpin, Class of 1920. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.

When David McAlpin, Princeton Class of 1920, donated more than 500 fine-art photographs to the Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM) in 1971 — in an age when photography was still considered a reproductive medium — it became one of the earliest museums to commit to photography as an art form. In addition to these gifts of art, McAlpin endowed an acquisitions fund at the museum as well as a professorship in the history of photography at Princeton — the first in the nation. 

In his lifetime, McAlpin amassed one of the century’s most significant collections of American photography, anchored by an
unparalleled suite of prints purchased directly from Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, two of the great American masters of the medium. His gift to the museum in 1971 included exceptional works by acclaimed historical photographers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Francis Frith and Heinrich Kühn, as well as works by those artists whom McAlpin had befriended and known over the decades, including Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keeffe, Eliot Porter, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston, and Minor White.

To mark the 45th anniversary of his remarkable philanthropy — and to recognize McAlpin’s pioneering legacy as a collector and a key figure in the establishment
of the study of photography in the museum and in the academy — the Princeton University Art Museum presents Ansel Adams to Edward Weston: Celebrating the Legacy of David H. McAlpin, on display now through September 25, 2016. The exhibition celebrates McAlpin’s foresight by bringing together works from his gift, acquisitions made possible through his fund and archival material that brings his artistic network to life. Additionally, the installation will feature correspondence between the collector and the artists whose work he most favored, recently donated by David McAlpin Jr., Princeton Class of 1950.

“David McAlpin’s gift to the Princeton University Art Museum instantly put the institution on the map as a leader in the emerging field of photography,” said James Steward, Nancy A. Nasher–David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, director. “This anniversary provokes us to remember the profound vision of these innovative image- makers, the wonder of the photographic medium, and the powerful role of a single visionary collector.”

An investment banker for most of his career, David McAlpin (1897–1989) was also a trustee of Princeton University, an officer at many philanthropic organizations and a committed conservationist. It was his championing of photography, however, that set him apart. In 1978 photographer Ansel Adams stated, “No one has done more for photography in this country than David McAlpin.”

McAlpin’s lifelong interest in photography coalesced in the 1930s, when he visited An American Place, the Manhattan gallery overseen by the photographer and impresario Alfred Stieglitz. McAlpin soon became acquainted with many prominent artists, including Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keeffe, Eliot Porter, Charles Sheeler, and Edward Weston.

While McAlpin collected broadly across subjects, from portraiture to still life, his passion for landscape images is borne out by his pursuit of photographs by Adams and Weston, the two artists who emerge as the anchors of the McAlpin collection and of the present exhibition.

Ansel Adams to Edward Weston: Celebrating the Legacy of David H. McAlpin has been made possible by support from the Bagley Wright, Class of 1946, Contemporary Art Fund, with additional support from the Partners and Friends of the Princeton University Art Museum.

The Princeton University Art Museum is located in the heart of the Princeton campus, a short walk from the shops and restaurants of Nassau Street. Admission is free. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and major holidays.

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