Well looks like more details are now trickling in about the authenticity of the so-called lost negatives of Ansel Adams. These negatives might as well belong to one Uncle Earl. There are newspaper reports that a woman from the Bay area has come forward with some evidence that might prove Mr. Norsigian’s claims to be false. At this point I am just wishing that this was an honest mistake on part of Mr. Norsigian and not an elaborate scheme to hoodwink everyone.
Questions
28
Jul 10
Lost Negatives of Ansel Adams worth $200 Million Found – Real or Hoax?
I was going to write a follow-up post on my newly purchased Kodak Kodet Duaflex Camera and the roll of Ilford FP4 Film that I ran through it the other day. However a more pressing matter, one that has stunned the photography world, has caught my attention and well aroused my curiosity. A guy named Rick Norsigian claims to be in possession of negatives that once belonged to Ansel Adams. These glass plate negatives were presumed lost in a fire that destroyed his Yosemite National Park studio. Rick claims to have paid just $45 ten years ago, and now according to the experts he hired are worth over $200 Million. What makes this claim intriguing is that none of the people from the official Ansel Adam’s camp are buying it. This looks like a repeat of the now famous Jackson Pollock and the Truck Driver story from a few years ago. The similarities between both stories are striking. Both stories have a similar plot – the key character makes a serendipitous purchase at an unlikely location. A comment from someone about the uncanny resemblance of the work to that of someone famous leads the character to do research – almost to the point of obsession. It also includes a cast of dueling experts that disagree about the authenticity of the said items. Some have even gone further by calling Mr. Narsigian a fraud and the negatives fake. I am hoping that in this case a team of independent experts can once for all establish that these negatives were indeed the creation of Ansel Adams. There are too many questions that still need to be answered. I personally think it is stupid on part of the newspapers to run with the sensational headline. The negatives might as well be authentic, but let’s wait and find out all the facts instead of freaking out about the guy’s good luck.
This also brings up a lot of interesting questions. Ansel Adams was know to have kept meticulous notes on print making corresponding to each negative. He is known for his iconic prints and his dark room mastery. How valuable are these negatives (if authentic) without his notes? Can we call them genuine reproductions without anything to compare the prints to? And finally who owns the copyrights to these negatives? What do you think? Are these negatives really worth $200 Million?
