LEGENDARY RICHARD AVEDON

Till date, Richard Avedon is one of the most talented photographers around the world. Avedon's iconic photo included pop icons, models, musicians, writers, artists, workers, political activists, soldiers, Vietnam War victims, politicians.  

John Galliano

Brigitte Bardot, 1959

Barbra Streisand, 1965

President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy

Juliette Binoche, 1995

Marilyn Monroe, 1956

Marlene Dietrich, August 1955, Turban by Dior. At the Ritz, Paris

Audrey Hepburn, 1957

Avedon was gifted with a brilliant sense of imagery and insight. All his photos has combined perfect composition, play of light, deep emotions, impetuosity and unique performance. Avedon was revolutioner in creating images where models expressed their emotions and dynamically acted.

Stephanie Seymour & Marcus Schenkenberg, for Gianni Versace Vogue Italy, July, 1993

Photo by Richard Avedon for Versace, Elle UK, Aug. 1993

Stephanie Seymour fall'93, Versace

He was born in 1923,  New York. Avedon was a man of diverse creative. This is evidenced by the fact that he was fond of poetry, in 1941 he was given the title Poet Laureate of New York High Schools. Avedon even has joined Columbia University to study poetry and philosophy, but interrupted studying after a year. He studied photography from 1944 until 1950 with Alexey Brodovitch at New School for Social Research. Photography was Avedon's admiration from childhood. With family's camera, a Kodak Box Brownie, he has honed own mastery with family members.

RichardAvedon creative blossoming began from the second part of the 20th century. In 1944, Avedon started to work for a department store as a photographer for advertisements but was soon certified by Brodovitch to Harper’s Bazaar. His work appeared in Junior Bazaar and then Bazaar.

In 1946, Richard Avedon opened his own personal studio and began offering services to popular magazines like Life and Vogue. Eventually, he became the head photographer at Harper’s Bazaar. Starting from 1950’s he also photographed for Look, Graphis and Life. In 1952, he became the photographer and Staff Editor of Theatre Arts Magazine.

1965. Harper's Bazaar. Model Jean Shrimpton in a Mondrian dress by Yves Saint Laurent

August 1958 Dovima (L) and Betsy Pickering in dresses by Lanvin-Castillo

For Versace, 1995

Model Vicki Hilbert for Chanel No.5 

 Nadja Auermann

Nadja Auermann, Versace

Coco Chanel and Suzy Parker, January, 1959

From 1973, Avedon became the main photographer for Vogue and made many covers for the magazine. In 1980’s Gianni Versace’s collection, he took commercial photography assignments. Avedon has provided his services to twelve covers of American Vogue, Revlon’s campaign – Most Unforgettable Women, and Versace.

Avedon works are represented in many museums including MoMA, the Smithsonian, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with countless other museums and institutions worldwide. Avedon’s solo exhibition, “Portraits: 1969–1975” was on view at the Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, and Larry Gagosian’s Broxton Gallery, in Westwood, California, in 1976. He is the only photographer to have had two major exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in 1978 and 2002. A 2007 retrospective exhibition organized by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark traveled to Milan, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and San Francisco. Richard Avedon established The Richard Avedon Foundation during his lifetime. Based in New York, the Foundation is the repository for Avedon's photographs, negatives, publications, papers, and archival materials.