PALM SPRINGS, CA.-The Palm Springs Art Museum has received a transformative gift of 543 photographs and limited edition books with original photography dating from the mid 19th to the late 20th centuries encompassing a range of important artists and styles. The gift, received from an anonymous donor, significantly elevates the museum’s growing photography holdings and strengthens the permanent collection as a whole. The scope of the new collection ranges from early views of Egypt and the Holy Land by Francis Frith and photographs of Rome by James Anderson from the 1850s and 60s, to contemporary work by artists such as Duane Michals, Milton Rogovin, Jock Sturges, Joel Peter Witkin, and Arthur Tress. The gift comprises strong examples of work by early 20th century Pictorialists, including Heinrich Kuhn, Julia Margaret Cameron, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Alfred Stieglitz, and Edward Steichen, and modernist masters such as Paul Strand, Andre Kertesz, Andreas Feininger, Helen Levitt, Brassai, and Harry Callahan.

“This wonderful gift transforms the role of photography within the museum’s collection, and will enable us to share hundreds of important works with residents and visitors of the Palm Springs area,” said Steven Nash, Director of the Palm Springs Art Museum. “It is a foundational gift that propels the museum into the ranks of serious photography programs and provides a very strong base for continued growth.”

The donation marks the most important addition to the museum’s photography collection in the past decade and the latest milestone in an ongoing strategy to strengthen the institution’s exhibitions program, grow the permanent collection, and invest in capital improvements instituted by Nash since he joined the museum in April of 2007.