Portfolio IV: What Majestic Word
Works by Ansel Adams

About the exhibition

The FUJIFILM SQUARE Photo History Museum is pleased to present an exhibition of Portfolio IV by Ansel Adams, a master of 20th-century photography.

Portfolio IV:What Majestic Word, a set of original prints by Ansel Adams, is part of the collection owned by FUJIFILM Corporation. The portfolio drew an enthusiastic response when it was shown to the public for the first time at the inaugural exhibition to mark the reopening of the renovated FUJIFILM SQUARE Photo History Museum in 2010. We have now decided to exhibit the portfolio a second time to mark the 90th anniversary of Fujifilm Group in 2024.

Ansel Adams (1902—1984) is a master of 20th-century photography who reached the pinnacle of photographic expression through his pursuit of photography based on silver halides. In 1932, Adams formed Group f/64 together with Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham, among others, to advocate straight photography using the straightforward descriptive powers of the camera lens. In 1941, Adams and Fred Archer, another American photographer, devised the zone system, which controls everything from shooting to developing the film and producing the prints. Based on theory and technology, Adams produced a large number of outstandingly beautiful silver halide photographs during his lifetime. His works enhanced the aesthetic value of photography and inspired a change in social awareness. While working as a photographer, Adams was also actively involved in the conservation of the natural environment, and served for many years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club, an environmental organization headquartered in the United States.

Portfolio IV is dedicated to the memory of Russell Varian, coinventor of the klystron radio tube and a fellow member of the Sierra Club. The portfolio was produced with the support of the Varian Foundation in 1963. Adams personally selected the 15 beautiful photographs, which depict the natural landscapes of the United States that Varian loved, and the Sierra Club published 260 sets of the portfolio. This extremely rare and valuable portfolio, which contains original gelatin silver prints that Adams personally produced, is considered to be one of his masterpieces.

We are pleased to provide this opportunity to experience the essence of photography through the legacy of the photographic work of Ansel Adams, a master of 20th-century photography.