PHOTOGRAPHS FROM
THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF MARGARET W. WILSON
Ms. Weston opened the Weston Gallery in Carmel,
Calif., in 1975, long before buying photography became popular,
and
she is something of a legend among collectors. She was introduced
to the field when she married Cole Weston, the youngest son
of the photographer Edward Weston, in 1963. After their divorce
in 1974, she needed work, and her friend Ansel Adams encouraged
her to start the gallery. Its first show was an exhibition
of his work.
But Ms. Weston held on to special photographs, forming a
collection that included rare platinum prints by Edward Weston.
(He died five years before the marriage.) Among them is “The
Ascent of Attic Angles,” a haunting interior from 1921.
One of only two known existing prints of the image. “The
White Iris (Tina Modotti),” a photograph Edward Weston
made in 1921, is also one of only two known prints of that
image. “They’re really like rare paintings,” Ms.
Weston said in a telephone interview from her home in Carmel.
“I’ve always been a collector at heart,” she added. “I
have a lot on my walls, but a lot in the vault. I just thought
it was time to pass them on for others to enjoy.”
The sale includes 17 photographs by Adams as well as works
by Carleton Watkins and Man Ray. But Ms. Weston is keeping
many photographs that she said have sentimental value to
her. |
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