It depends on your definition of "artistic."
I have collected B&W prints by Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Minor White, and Paul Caponigro, among many others. Each print was chosen not for the name of the photographer but for what I perceived to be its artistic value to me, personally.
At the time I was still acquiring, the only photgrapher whose work sometimes appeared to be significantly manipulated was Clarence John Laughlin, but I have always admired the obviously manipulated work of Jerry Uelsmann.
Eric