American Prospects and Landscape Photography, 1839 to Today features 80 photographs that examine the evolving relationship between people and the natural environment. At its center is Joel Sternfeld’s acclaimed American Prospects series, created between 1978 and 1983 and published in 1987, which helped redefine color photography. Using a large-format camera, Sternfeld captured the American landscape with wit, empathy, and keen observation, balancing its beauty and vastness with evidence of environmental change, industrial decline, and suburban growth. The exhibition places his work within the broader history of landscape photography, showcasing works by influential photographers including Carleton Watkins, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, William Eggleston, and others. It also marks the first presentation at the Nelson-Atkins of Sternfeld’s photographs, donated by Peggy and Bill Lyons.
Joel Sternfeld, "McLean, Virginia", December 4, 1978; printed 2005 - Courtesy of the artist and the gallery