Magnolia Blossom
1925 (printed 1971)
Imogen Cunningham (American, 1883-1976)
Not on View

Justly noted as one of Imogen Cunningham’s most famous plant photographs, Magnolia Blossom embodies the idea of “nature as art.” The radiant flower is presented close up, cropped and tilted forward like a presentation piece. A soft light suffuses the blossom and gently caresses each petal, yielding information about its surfaces and textures. It is impossible to imagine what could be added or subtracted from this paragon of natural beauty. Handsomely crafted photographs like this, essentially studies in pure design by Cunningham, were included in “Film und Foto,” the influential exhibition mounted in Stuttgart in 1929 that presented avant-garde photography, heralding a new era for the medium.

Details

  • Artist Name: Imogen Cunningham (American, 1883-1976)
  • Title: Magnolia Blossom
  • Date: 1925 (printed 1971)
  • Medium: Gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions: Image: 8-3/4 x 11 in. (22.2 x 27.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: Norton Simon Museum, Gift of the Artist to the Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection
  • Accession Number: PH.1971.140
  • Copyright: © Imogen Cunningham Trust; all copyright permissions must be obtained through the Imogen Cunningham Trust (www.imogencunningham.com).

Object Information

Nature Studies: Photographs by Modern Masters

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1989-10-05 to 1990-02-11

Permanent Photography Collection

  • Pasadena Museum of Modern Art, 1973-09-12 to 1973-09-28

Significant Objects: The Spell of Still Life

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2012-07-20 to 2013-01-21

Man and His Environment

  • Pasadena, Pasadena Art Museum, 1972-02-08 to 1972-04-16

A Tribute to Frederick Sommer, 1905-1999

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1999-12-22 to 2000-03-26

A Precise Vision: Photography from the Galka Scheyer Collection

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1994-09-22 to 1996-04-28

Selections from the Permanent Collection of Photography

  • Pasadena Museum of Modern Art, 1973-06-05 to 1973-07-29

The Collectible Moment: Photographs in the Norton Simon Museum

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2006-10-13 to 2007-02-26

From Europe to California: Galka Scheyer and the Avant-Garde

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2003-05-16 to 2003-10-13
  • The Blue Four Galka Scheyer Collection, Norton Simon Museum of Art at Pasadena, 1976, no. 341
  • Lorenz, Richard, Imogen Cunningham: Modernist Years, 1993, pl. 1
  • Lorenz, Richard, Imogen Cunningham: Flora, 1996, pl. 11
  • Barnett, Vivian Endicott, The Blue Four Collection at the Norton Simon Museum, 2002, no. 443 p. 438
  • Gloria Williams, The Collectible Moment: Catalogue of Photographs in the Norton Simon Museum, 2006, cat. 163 p. 167
  • Claire Raymond, Women Photographers and Feminist Aesthetics, 2017, Figure 3.1 p. 60, 62 ; p 61 (ill.)

Additional Artwork by Artist

Agave Imogen Cunningham 1920s (printed 1971)
Black and White Lilies Imogen Cunningham 1920s (printed 1971)
Black Lily Imogen Cunningham 1920s (printed 1971)

Image reproduction permission may be granted for scholarly or arts related commercial use. All image requests, regardless of their intended purpose, should be submitted via the reproduction request form.

Images may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Additional permission may be required.

Approved requests for the reproduction of an image will receive a contract detailing all fees and conditions of use of the image. Upon receipt of both the signed contract and full payment, the Office of Rights and Reproductions will provide the image. A complimentary copy of the published material must be provided to the Norton Simon Museum.

Reproduction Request Form