Robert Adams is an American photographer who has focused on the changing landscape of the American West. Born in Orange, New Jersey, in 1937, he moved with his family to Denver, Colorado, at the age of 15. Adams first came to prominence in the mid-1970s through his book The New West (1974) and his participation in the influential New Topographics exhibition (1975). His work is characterized by an acute observation of suburban American life, industrial expansion, and the transformation of the western landscape. He balances despondency with hope in his photographs of a culturally and politically charged landscape. He is an independent photographer known for his eloquent philosophy on the medium and his critical appreciation of traditional aesthetic values.[1,2,3,4]
Themes
American West
landscape photography
suburban development
industrial expansion
New Topographics
environmental change
Books
Beauty in Photography: Essays in Defense of Traditional Values
Beauty in Photography: Essays in Defense of Traditional Values1981 · Aperture · book · EnglishISBN 0893810878Contains eight essays discussing photography's place in art and its aesthetic standards.
The New West1974 · Aperture · book · EnglishWork that first brought Adams to prominence.
From the Missouri West1980 · Aperture · book · English
Our Lives and Our Children1983 · Aperture · book · English
Summer Nights1985 · Aperture · book · English
Los Angeles Spring1986 · Aperture · book · English
Perfect Times, Perfect Places1988 · Aperture · book · English
Exhibitions
1975New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscapegroup
2012Robert Adams RetrospectiveYale University Art Gallerysolo
Awards
1994MacArthur FellowshipMacArthur Foundation
Spectrum International Prize for PhotographySpectrum
