Iconic Ansel Adams photo hauls in record price at auction of Texas oilman’s collection

An iconic photo by Ansel Adams sold for a record price during an auction of a Texas oilman’s collection.

David H. Arrington, the president of an oil and gas company in Midland, sold part of his extensive collection of pieces by the famed photographer and environmentalist at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. A total of 115 photographs sold for a combined $6.4 million.

The auction included a record price for an Adams photo, according to Sotheby’s. A mural-sized print of “The Grand Tetons and the Snake River” sold for $988,000.

The photograph was acquired from Michael and Jeanne Adams, the son and daughter-in-law of Adams. It was purchased by art brokerage firm Gurr Johns.

The firm also purchased a rare print of “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” for $685,500, which tied for the second-highest sale at the auction.

A California native, Adams was known for his connection to the Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Three photos of these landscapes sold among the highest prices at the auction.

• “Half Dome, Merced River, Winter, Yosemite Valley” sold for $685,500 to Gurr Johns.
• “Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada, from Lone Pine, California” sold to a private collection in Hong Kong for $403,200.
• “Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park” sold to a private collection in San Francisco for $327,600.

Arrington started collecting Adams’ work over two decades ago, growing his collection to more than 650 photographs. He displayed the photos at his company’s headquarters and loaned them to exhibitions.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my collection of Ansel’s photographs on a daily basis as they adorn every room and hallway in our Midland, Texas, offices,” Arrington told Sotheby’s. “Building this collection over several decades has brought me great joy, from the initial hunt to learning about each photograph to living with them. It’s time, however, for the next lucky person to share in some of this joy.”