EUGENE– More than 100 nationally recognized photographers have donated prints, ranging from figure studies to assemblages to landscapes, for the 23rd annual Photography at Oregon exhibition which opens April 2 at the University of Oregon Museum of Art, 1430 Johnson Lane.

On display through April 24, the photographs will be auctioned on Sunday, April 25, to support photography exhibitions and programs at the Museum of Art. The auction begins at noon in the Alumni Lounge of Gerlinger Hall, 1468 University St., with bidding getting underway at 1 p.m.

"The auction is a great opportunity for collectors eager to learn more about the history of the medium, and a rare chance to acquire first-rate art at a very reasonable price," says Lawrence Fong, associate director of the Museum of Art.

Ruth Bernhard, who currently lives in San Francisco, is among the photographers who have donated samples of their work this year for the Photography at Oregon Committee’s annual exhibition and auction.

Born in Germany in 1905 and trained in Berlin, Bernhard is essentially a self-taught artist. She has been influenced by Edward Weston and other West Coast photographers whose imagery of natural forms and the landscape was sharply focused in black-and-white.

Bernhard’s work is known for its sensual interpretation of nature and is represented in several public collections, including the Center for Creative Photography, the Museum of Modern Art, the Oakland Museum of California and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

The UO Museum of Art, accessible to people with disabilities, is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Suggested admission is $3, except on Wednesdays when the MusEvenings! program offers free extended viewing hours from 5—8 p.m. Museum members, students, UO employees and children are admitted free.

For information, browse http://uoma.uoregon.edu or call (541) 346-3027.

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