Brett Weston at Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City)

The Photographs of Brett Weston
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
23 Nov., 2011 – 1 April, 2012

Over his long and prolific career, photographer Brett Weston (1911-1993) exemplified the modernist aesthetic. The son of famed photographer Edward Weston (1886-1958), Brett Weston was a “natural” with the camera. The Photographs of Brett Weston, Nov. 23, 2011, through April 1, 2012, presents a condensed survey of his career of about 40 prints at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. While rare works from the Museum’s Hallmark Photographic Collection are also included, this exhibition celebrates a gift of 260 Weston prints from Christian K. Keesee, owner of the Brett Weston Archive in Oklahoma City, and provides a study collection for students and researchers.

“This generous gift from the Brett Weston Archive exemplifies the deep interest in our program on the part of leading collectors and estates across the nation,” said Keith F. Davis, curator of photography. “There is also a wonderful symmetry here: this gift of Brett Weston’s work compliments one of the earliest photography gifts to the Museum, when Mr. and Mrs. Milton McGreevy donated 60 Weston prints.”

Brett Weston was one of photography’s greatest prodigies. After serving as his father’s apprentice, he achieved international recognition at the age of 17 through inclusion in a landmark exhibition in Stuttgart, Germany in 1929. He was still a teenager when he first received high-level, international recognition as a creative artist.