Peeled Paint, Rochester, New York

Minor White, born in Minneapolis, is considered one of the greatest American photographers of the 20th century. His peers included Ansel Adams, Alfred Steiglitz, and Edward Steichen, and, in 1952, he helped found the influential photography magazine Aperture. White’s work often verges on abstraction and features mundane objects, such as peeling paint. This photograph is one of 896 works of art bequeathed to the museum by the late Harry Drake, a longtime and passionate patron of the MIA. The bequest included over 600 images by Minor White, making the MIA one of the most important repositories of the artist’s work.