In The American West

[MattKing]

Did Weston burn his house down, too? Seems strange to burn something of value that could have been left to his family.

Weston left way more of importance to his family than just a few negatives. And many artists prefer that their work not be interpreted by others.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Edward Weston's modest acreage in Carmel astronomically exploded in value in subsequent decades. It was his son Brett who deliberately burned his negatives, not his house! Cole Weston's ex-wife owned the Weston Gallery in Carmel, always worth visiting.

 

[Pieter12]

Did Weston burn his house down, too? Seems strange to burn something of value that could have been left to his family.

Brett lived in Hawaii. He burnt some of his negatives, soaked some in barrels of water, punched holes in the corners and scribbled in sharpie on others. He left everything else to one of his daughters, leaving the other 4 from his first marriage out of his will.

"The primary reason he decided to destroy his negatives was that he did not want his work to be handled as his father’s had, Williams said. “He had watched the difference between the way Edward worked and how Cole printed the negatives. I think he felt that it may have been a necessary financial inheritance for his father’s sons, but the artistic compromise was something he couldn’t live with. He has always felt that the print is the final statement.”