MONTEREY, CA.- As part of its Winter 2025 Exhibition Season celebrating Mid-century Modern aesthetics, Monterey Museum of Art (MMA) presents a first-of-its kind exhibition, Morley Baer: Modernism in Northern California Architecture. Drawn primarily from the Museum’s historical archives, this exhibition introduces never-before-seen work by Baer and invites viewers to consider the emerging styles of Northern California’s Mid-century Modern architecture. The exhibition will be on view January 16 – April 27, 2025.

Corey Madden, MMA Executive Director, shares, “Although Morley Baer may be best known for his images of Monterey’s adobes and landscape, guest curator Cydney Payton shines a spotlight on Baer’s images of Mid-century Modern architecture in stunning locations from Big Sur to Sea Ranch. Drawing largely from MMA’s permanent archive, this exhibition offers a fresh perspective on both Morley Baer as a California artist and some of the region’s most iconic structures.”

Baer gained a large following and distinguished reputation as an architectural photographer. His unique ability to capture the essence and beauty of each building led to trusted relationships with some of the era’s most prominent architects, including Bernard Maybeck, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the renowned architectural firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). His work has also been published in magazines such as Architectural Digest and Home and Garden.

Guest Curator Cydney Payton has selected over 60 works of Baer’s architectural photography primarily from MMA’s historical archive, with additional work from UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley. MMA is also grateful to Joshua Baer, Morley Baer’s son, for his unique perspective on his father’s legacy. Morley Baer: Modernism in Northern California Architecture showcases a previously under-recognized dimension of Baer’s body of work. Baer captures the development of the organic approach to Modernist architecture, richly expressed along the California coast, in which architects incorporate the natural beauty of their sites into the built environment.

Payton notes, “I am thrilled to curate the first exhibition of Morley’s Baer architectural photographs for Monterey Museum of Art. The exhibition serves as an introduction to a body of Baer’s work that until now has been overlooked. What is revealed in Baer’s photographs is the history of an emergent architectural modernism that came to define Northern California style."

Light, composition, and space serve as the backbone of Baer’s work. Drawing inspiration from his background in the performing arts, Baer’s photographic methodology captures the drama, character, and narrative behind each building. His scenes of innovatively designed exteriors and the artistry of their interiors go beyond documentation and firmly establish Baer’s artistic legacy as a pre-eminent California photographer of Mid-Century Modern regional architecture.