Yosemite Fine Art Exhibit in LA

Before there were photographs of the parks, there were paintings. I had an opportunity this past week to see some park pieces created by Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran in the late 1800s which are now part of a permanent collection at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, OK. These guys occasionally painted on a massive scale. If you've ever stood in front of an 11 foot wide by 6 foot tall painting, you'll know what I mean by massive. Moran's paintings of the Yellowstone area are so stunning, that they are credited as inspiration for the US Congress to set aside the area as our nation's first park. You may be familiar with Moran's "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" which I think is on display somewhere at the Department of the Interior (either that or somewhere in the Capitol. Does somebody know the answer to this one?)

If you are in the Los Angeles area, you may be interested in a special exhibit currently on display at the Autry National Center called "Yosemite: Art of an American Icon". If you are not in the LA area, check out the exhibit website. It is set up with a lot of interpretive audio about the paintings on display that I found very interesting and informative. Some paintings I'm familiar with, but most are not. There is a Bierstadt in this exhibit. I didn't see an Ansel Adams print though. I wonder if he'll be included in Part II of the exhibit which will be on display starting in November.