William Garnett (American, 1916-2006) Four Sided Dune #2, Death Valley, California

Description:

William Garnett (American, 1916-2006)

Four Sided Dune #2, Death Valley, California, 1954, printed later. Signed "WGarnett" in pencil on the mount l.r., titled, dated, and signed "WGarnett" in pencil on the reverse of the mount, copyright notice stamped on the reverse of the mount. Gelatin silver print, image/sheet size 13 3/4 x 10 7/8 in. (34.8 x 27.5 cm),matted, framed.
Condition: Mounted.

Provenance: The estate of artist Terri Priest, Worcester, Massachusetts.

N.B. After serving as a United States Army Signal Corps cameraman during World War II, William Garnett became a pilot after a cross-country flight inspired him to photograph the American landscape from above. He learned to fly on the G.I. Bill and bought his first plane in 1947. Over the course of 10,000 hours of flying, Garnett piloted his plane while simultaneously photographing out the window. Without the conventional grounding of a horizon line, his aerial photographs become abstractions of the landscape revealing beautiful and sometimes ambiguous patterns in the natural terrain that are not observable from the ground. The first aerial photographer to earn a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship, Garnett's work defies the stereotype of aerial photography as purely scientific and devoid of artistic expression.
Estimate $3,000-5,000

Very subtle surface scratches u.r. Mount measures 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.7 cm). No additional issues to report.


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