Monument Valley, New Mexico
1970 · Gelatin silver print, from "Portfolio II" (1973)
Image/paper: 17.5 × 21.9 cm (6 15/16 × 8 5/8 in.); Mount: 38.2 × 45.9 cm (15 1/16 × 18 1/8 in.)
Art Institute of Chicago
WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture
Paul Caponigro
American, 1932
Boston, MA, USA
PhotographyPhotography
Representation
None documented
15
Institutional Exhibitions
46
Works in Collection
71
Assets Indexed
4
Authority-backed Facts
0
Publications Referenced
90%
Profile Completeness
Cultural Positioning
Movements
- • Photography
Related Artists
No edges recorded
Influence Graph
No influence edges encoded yet.
Selected Institutional Exhibitions
View all exhibitions →No image
Contemporary Photography Reinstallation
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1986
No image
Still Life
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1981–1982
No image
Reinstallation of the Collection
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1980
No image
Edward Steichen Photography Center Reinstallation
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1979
No image
Mirrors and Windows: American Photography Since 1960
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1978
About
Why this artist matters now
Paul Caponigro was an American photographer renowned for large-format black-and-white landscape and nature photography. Working primarily with 8x10 inch view cameras, he created meticulously composed images that emphasize tonal subtlety, geometric form, and the metaphysical qualities of natural light. His practice, developed across seven decades, treated landscape photography as a meditative and spiritual pursuit rather than documentary record. Caponigro's work influenced a generation of fine art photographers and demonstrated the expressive potential of the photographic print as a handmade object.
Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 25d ago
Graph relationships
Taste overlap and adjacency
Movement
Photography
Medium
Photography
Related Artists
12 in graph
Institutional
Museum Collections
Canonical record
Artworks (46)
View all 46 artworks →
Record
Images
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Adjacent in the graph
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Record
Movements and affiliations
Institutional
Representation & Collections
In collection
Cleveland Museum of Art
In collection
Museum of Modern Art
New York, US
In collection
Art Institute of Chicago
Market
Auction sale history
Houses that have sold works by this artist at auction
Market
Auction History
| Work | Auction House | Date | Estimate | Hammer Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artsy | Mar 2026 | $700 – $900 | Unsold |
Record