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Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico

Ansel Adams

American · 1902–1984 · Printmaker, Photographer

Ansel Easton Adams was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an… (Wikipedia)

Own a work by Ansel Adams? Get a free auction estimate →

345lots offered2002–2026years recorded89%sold (303)$6.9kSign up free to seemedian price

3 works by Ansel Adams with an auction history (offered more than once) →

8 works by Ansel Adams coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

Record prices

  1. Ansel Adams, Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine California, 1944, Mural-sized gelatin silver print, printed 1967, flush-mountedWinter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine CaliforniaPhillips · $412,500≈ £327,485≈ €364,110Sign up to see
  2. Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941, Gelatin silver print, printed no later than 1959Moonrise, Hernandez, New MexicoPhillips · $381,000≈ £305,240≈ €349,509Sign up to see
  3. Ansel Adams, The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1942, Gelatin silver print, printed 1973-1977The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, WyomingPhillips · $289,800≈ £213,104≈ €250,649Sign up to see

Ansel Adams’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

Coming up at auction

8 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

Listed from the auction houses’ own websites; estimates are the houses’ own, not results.

ArtSell has recorded 339 auction results for Ansel Adams between 2002 and 2026, of which 303 sold (89%). A further 6 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $63Sign up free to see to $413kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $413kSign up free to see for Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine California at Phillips in July 2020. The most common medium is photographs (316 lots). Most results come from Phillips (155), Bonhams (66) and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (28).

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  1. Ansel Adams, Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, 1941, print
    Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, 1941
    Print (other)
    24 x 19cm (9.4 x 7.5in)
    Morgan O'Driscoll · · Lot 270
    €300≈ $347≈ £257HammerSign up free to seeView at Morgan O'Driscoll ↗
  2. Ansel Adams, Cemetery Statue and Oil Derricks, Long Beach, California (Plate 8 from the Portfolio VII), gelatin silver print
    Cemetery Statue and Oil Derricks, Long Beach, California (Plate 8 from the Portfolio VII)
    Photograph
    15⅛ h x 18¼ w in (38 x 46 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 264
    $1,920≈ £1,434≈ €1,673Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  3. Ansel Adams, Interior of Tumacacori Mission, New Mexico (Plate 7 from the Portfolio VII), gelatin silver print
    Interior of Tumacacori Mission, New Mexico (Plate 7 from the Portfolio VII)
    Photograph
    19⅝ h x 15⅜ w in (50 x 39 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 265
    $896≈ £669≈ €781Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  4. Ansel Adams, Gerry Sharpe, Ouray, Colorado (Plate 5 from the Portfolio VII), gelatin silver print
    Gerry Sharpe, Ouray, Colorado (Plate 5 from the Portfolio VII)
    Photograph
    19¼ h x 14¾ w in (49 x 37 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 266
    $1,024≈ £765≈ €892Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $800–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  5. Ansel Adams, Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain Yosemite National Park, California, gelatin silver print
    Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain Yosemite National Park, California
    Photograph
    7½ h x 9⅜ w in (19 x 24 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 283
    $896≈ £669≈ €781Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $300–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  6. Ansel Adams, Monolith, Face of Half Dome (from 'Portfolio Three: Yosemite Valley'), 1927, Gelatin silver print
    Monolith, Face of Half Dome (from 'Portfolio Three: Yosemite Valley'), 1927
    Photograph
    11 x 8 1/8 in. (27.9 x 20.6 cm.)
    Bonhams · · Lot 113
    $3,840≈ £2,869≈ €3,367Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $5,000–7,000View at Bonhams ↗
  7. Ansel Adams, Nevada Fall, Yosemite National Park (Curry Company Commission), c. 1930s, Gelatin silver print; the photographer's 'Photographed in Yosemite by Ansel Adams' stamp on the reverse
    Nevada Fall, Yosemite National Park (Curry Company Commission), c. 1930s
    Photograph
    5 5/8 x 9 3/8 in. (14.3 x 23.8 cm.)
    Bonhams · · Lot 114
    $1,280≈ £956≈ €1,122Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–2,000View at Bonhams ↗
  8. Ansel Adams, White Post and Spandrel, Columbia, California (from 'Portfolio VI'), 1953, Gelatin silver print
    White Post and Spandrel, Columbia, California (from 'Portfolio VI'), 1953
    Photograph · ed. 6/110
    19 1/4 x 14 1/8 in. (48.9 x 35.9 cm.)
    Bonhams · · Lot 128
    $1,536≈ £1,148≈ €1,347Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–2,000View at Bonhams ↗
  9. Ansel Adams, Gottardo Piazzoni in his Studio, San Francisco (from 'Portfolio VI'), c. 1932, Gelatin silver print
    Gottardo Piazzoni in his Studio, San Francisco (from 'Portfolio VI'), c. 1932
    Photograph · ed. 6/110
    15 5/8 x 19 1/2 in. (39.7 by 49.5 cm.)
    Bonhams · · Lot 217
    $1,664≈ £1,243≈ €1,459Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–2,000View at Bonhams ↗
  10. Ansel Adams, Graduation Dress, Yosemite Valley, California (from 'Portfolio VI'), 1948, Gelatin silver print
    Graduation Dress, Yosemite Valley, California (from 'Portfolio VI'), 1948
    Photograph · ed. 6/110
    19 5/8 by 15 1/4 in. (49.8 by 38.7 cm.)
    Bonhams · · Lot 95
    $1,408≈ £1,052≈ €1,235Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–2,000View at Bonhams ↗
Also offered, result not published (6)

Lots by Ansel Adams that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Ansel Adams prints (13)Ansel Adams lithographs (5)Ansel Adams photographs (316)

Ansel Adams: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Ansel Adams at auction?

$412,500Sign up free to see, for Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine California at Phillips (July 2020) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Ansel Adams?

The median sale price is $6.9kSign up free to see across 302 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Ansel Adams have sold at auction?

303 of 339 recorded lots sold between 2002 and 2026. 6 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell Ansel Adams?

Phillips, Bonhams and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) account for the most recorded results. Phillips · Bonhams · Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)

Ansel Adams signature

243 catalogued lots by Ansel Adams record a signature line. The most common placement is lower right (84% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

  • lower right16
  • on the reverse2
  • in the margin1

Form

  • signed122
  • signed in pencil96
  • initialled19
  • monogrammed4
  • signed and dated2

Ansel Adams signature: all forms and examples →

About Ansel Adams

Ansel Easton Adams was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advocating "pure" photography which favored sharp focus and the use of the full tonal range of a photograph. He and Fred Archer developed a system of image-making called the Zone System, a method of achieving a desired final print through a technical understanding of how the tonal range of an image is the result of choices made in exposure, negative development, and printing.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

In museum collections

  • Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New MexicoMoonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941
    Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
  • Ansel Adams, The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, WyomingThe Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1942
    Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
  • Ansel Adams, Monolith, the Face of Half DomeMonolith, the Face of Half Dome, 1927
    Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
  • Ansel Adams, Evening, McDonald Lake, Glacier National ParkEvening, McDonald Lake, Glacier National Park, 1942
    National Archives at College Park · Public domain

All 5 open-access museum images →

Related artists — American, born 1877–1927

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