Arthur Elgort, Kate Moss in Los Angeles, Vogue (detail), 1995. Photographs New York.
Fashion editorial photography wields immense power in shaping cultural aspirations. Rather than simply documenting reality, its goal is to dictate desire at scale — showcasing the idealized vision of a culture at a moment in time. In our upcoming Photographs New York auction, we discover striking analogues between fashion photography from the early 1990s and 2000s and much older works by Richard Avedon and Irving Penn.
Richard Avedon, Avedon/Paris, Sunny Harnett, Evening dress by Grès, Casino, Le Touquet shown, 1947–1957. Photographs New York.
As much as it may shock the peak millennials among us, these midcentury images would have been as old in the early 1990s as the 1990s images are today. The more recent works, from the single owner selection Venus, showcase legendary supermodels of the day as they graced the pages of fashion editorials. Immediately recognized by their first names alone (Christy, Carla, Cindy, and the inimitable Kate, among others), these iconic models became muses to the culture at large and are seen here through the lenses of artists ranging from Helmut Newton to Arthur Elgort, Albert Watson, Patrick Demarchelier, Sante D’Orazio, Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, and more.
Patrick Demarchelier, Kate and Carla, New York, 1994. Photographs New York.
Richard Avedon, Avedon/Paris, Dorian Leigh, Evening dress by Piguet, Helena Rubinstein apartment, Ile St.-Louis, Paris shown, 1947–1957. Photographs New York.
By considering the works that comprise Venus alongside those by Avedon and Penn, we discover a unique lens through which to view these two eras. In the midcentury works, we see the impact of the postwar boom, the era of Madison Avenue advertising, and a new approach to consumerism and lifestyle. At this time, the increased industrial production that had developed during the war produced the new, must-have products of modernity that first taught us how consumption can be a form of self-expression and patriotism. These photographs are crucial artifacts of how this history was written and how photographic technology began to create a mainstream visual culture.
Arguably, fashion editorial photography as we understand it began in the late 1940s, when enterprising young photographers like Avedon and Penn brought their craft and artistry to major publications. The portfolio Avedon/Paris celebrates this time, comprised of early images Avedon captured as a staff photographer at Harper’s Bazaar between 1947 and 1957. Compiled for the artist’s landmark 1978 retrospective at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the works in the portfolio showcase Avedon’s fresh, cinematic approach. It was an approach that met the seismic cultural shifts of the era and, in many ways, defined the “New Look” fashion of the 1950s. When these images were first captured, the wartime roles of women and Paris would have lingered in viewers’ minds, yet Avedon's playful images of leisure and an idealized city embrace the present and impart a powerful hope for the future.
Sante D’Orazio, Kate Moss, West Village, NYC, 1992. Photographs New York.
The early ‘90s have much in common with the earlier time. The previous decade of technological advancement and bourgeoning consumerism had reached an apex that birthed MTV, Regan-era conservatism, and the initial development of the World Wide Web. What’s more, and directly comparable to the post-V-Day exuberance, the ‘90s saw the impacts of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the effects of rapid global financialization. The West was on a high that lasted until the cusp of the dot com bust, and prosperity flourished for many, just as in the postwar era. But this time, the moment was met with a kind of skepticism that manifested itself in a waifish and aloof countercultural aesthetic that was controversially dubbed “Heroin Chic.”
Albert Watson, Kate Moss, Back II, Marrakech, 1993. Photographs New York.
Irving Penn, Woman in Palace, Marrakech, Morocco (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn), 1951. Photographs New York.
Looking back at images captured in Marrakesh by Irving Penn and Albert Watson, we can see how these two moments manifested themselves visually in the eyes of brilliant artists. We also discover what changed in visual culture writ large — and thus, what changed in how the fashion business believed the world wanted to see itself. Penn’s above photograph of his wife Lisa Fonssagrives, taken just a year after they married, was published in the January 1952 issue of Vogue. The exotic exuberance of the jet set mentality is palpable in the candid moment Penn captures, whereas Albert Watson’s 1993 images of a 19-year-old Kate Moss for German Vogue are seemingly more staged, more aspirational and distant.
Albert Watson, Kate Moss, Sun and Henna, Marrakech, 1993. Photographs New York.
What’s becoming obvious is that a real sense of power is at play in each of these images. The unseen cultural undercurrents that lurk beneath them involve major geopolitical events and commerce on a massive scale. In the time between them, much had also changed for women’s standing in society as second-wave feminism ushered in a profound cultural transformation. Against this backdrop, we find the complexities of shifting norms in the permissiveness of nudity and in the power dynamics between artist and model. From our vantage point today, these ideas are as relevant as ever. While the historical contexts are undeniable, these images have continued to resonate across generations, their enduring appeal stemming from their photographers’ artistry and their models’ compelling presence, skill, and feminine strength.
Patrick Demarchelier, Elle, New York, 1990. Photographs New York.
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