Michael Kenna, American, b. England, 1953- Mystery and a sense of Gothic romance inhabit the photographs of Michael Kenna. It is not insignificant that his first camera was a Diana box camera, given to him in 1966, because the inherent soft-focus of that simple apparatus characterizes his later medium- and large-format works. He is known primarily for his atmospheric landscapes and astute handling of light, line, texture, and form. Ruth Bernhard, whom Kenna met in 1978, and Ansel Adams, with whom he worked as a technical assistant (1982, 1983), influenced his sensibility. Born in Widnes, Kenna was educated at St. Joseph's College (1965-72), the Banbury School of Art (1972-73), and the London College of Printing (H.N.D. in photography, 1976). From 1973-77, he worked for magnum Photos in London and as assistant to Anthony Blake at cbs. In 1977, he moved to the United States, settling in San Francisco. Kenna has had well over 40 one-person and more than 80 group exhibitions since 1978 throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Among his awards are the Imogen Cunningham Award (1981), the Art in Public Buildings Award from the California Arts Commission (1987), and the Institute for Aesthetic Development Award, Pasadena (1989). Kenna's photographs have illustrated limited-edition printings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic tale The Hound of the Baskervilles (1985, 1986). Additional publications include Michael Kenna, Photographs (1984), Michael Kenna 1976-1986 (1987), Night Walk (1988), Le Désert de Retz (1990), Michael Kenna: A Twenty Year Retrospective (1990), and The Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing. Photographs by Michael Kenna (1991). Kenna lives in San Francisco. A.W. Source: Cleveland Museum

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