Claus Mroczynski

"I became a landscape photographer because my love of the environment and its ever-changing beauty. I attempt to capture this unique American landscape in its entire splendor as well as subtle details. I am devoted to the survival of our endangered environment. Hopefully an awareness of what we all must strive to preserve will be experienced through these photographs."
-Claus Mroczynski

From the time he was a child, German-born photographer Claus Mroczynski was fascinated with the indigenous peoples of North America, especially the ancient inhabitants of the American Southwest. Later in his life, as an accomplished photographer, he spent more than two decades visiting the rugged deserts, caves, mesas, and mountains of the area, producing an evocative portrait of sacred places past and present. Mroczynski's sensitivity and respect for these places earned him access to many hidden sites that few have visited. Ron Richelieu, former Executive Director of Mesa Verde National Park, described the resulting series of photographs as a "testament to the richness of an ancient culture that lives on today."

Born in 1941 in Essen, Germany, Mroczynski received his initial art training at the Fachhochschule for Design in Dortmund, Germany and also studied with renowned photographers Ansel Adams, Wynne Bullock and Paul Caponigro at the Ansel Adams Workshops in Yosemite National Park, California. Mroczynski was schooled in the advanced technical skills that were pioneered by Adams, and like Adams, was committed to the expressive powers of the photographic image. "Technique is important," Mroczynski said, "but not as important as what you say and show in the picture."

He exhibited his work throughout the East Coast, as well as in Germany, Puerto Rico, and the Southwest, and his photographs are in such prestigious collections as the Smithsonian Institution and the Denver Art Museum. A resident of Bucks County, Mroczynski maintained a studio near New Hope for 17 years until his death in 2006. He has exhibited twice at the Michener Art Museum, including the retrospective Sacred Places of the Southwest in 2008.

Education and Training
Graduate of Fachhochschule for Design, Dortmund, Germany
Studied with the renowned photographers Ansel Adams, Wynne Bullock and Paul Caponigro at the Ansel Adams Workshops in Yosemite National Park, California

Connection to Bucks County
Claus Mroczynski maintained a studio on Old Windybush Road near New Hope, Bucks County, for 17 years until his death in 2006.

Major Exhibitions
Washington Gallery of Photography, Washington, D.C.
Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts Port Washington Library, Long Island, New York
Popular Photography Gallery, New York, New York
Foto Selection Gallery, Düsseldorf, Germany
Sullivan County Museum of Fine Arts, New York, New York
Gallup New Mexico Cultural Center, Gallup, New Mexico
Navajo Nation Museum, Window Rock, Arizona
Bucks County Invitational V, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, 2002
Claus Mrocynski: Sacred Places of the Southwest, Michener Art Museum, New Hope, PA, 2008

Major Collections
Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.
Bibliotheque National, Paris, France
Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado
Katz Communications Pavilion for the International Television Convention, Miami, Florida
The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA
Private collections in Europe and the USA

Major Awards
Nikon International Competition
Kodak International Competition
UNICEF Year of the Child

Major Publications
Claus Mroczynski, Sacred Places of the Southwest, CBM Publishing, New Hope, PA, 2006
Fotomagazin, Zoom, and Fotographie (Germany)
Camera, Photart, and Photographie (Switzerland)
Progresso Fotografico (Italy)
Popular Photography (USA)