Richard Avedon - Photographs New York Saturday, November 14, 2009 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Christie's, New York, 12 February 2003, lot 45; Phillips de Pury & Company, New York, 17 October 2007, lot 92

  • Literature

    Shanahan, Richard Avedon: Evidence 1944-1994, p. 162; Fraser, On the Edge: Images from 100 Years of Vogue, pp. 232-233

  • Artist Biography

    Richard Avedon

    American • 1923 - 2004

    From the inception of Richard Avedon's career, first at Harper's Bazaar and later at Vogue, Avedon challenged the norms for editorial photography. His fashion work gained recognition for its seemingly effortless and bursting energy, while his portraits were celebrated for their succinct eloquence. "I am always stimulated by people," Avedon has said, "almost never by ideas." 

    Indeed, as seen in his portraits — whether of famed movie stars or everyday people — the challenge for Avedon was conveying the essence of his subjects. His iconic images were usually taken on an 8 x 10 inch camera in his studio with a plain white background and strobe lighting, creating his signature minimalist style. Avedon viewed the making and production of photographs as a performance similar to literature and drama, creating portraits that are simultaneously intensely clear, yet deeply mysterious.

    View More Works

17

Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, 14 June

1981
Gelatin silver print.
32 1/8 x 48 3/4 in. (81.6 x 123.8 cm).
Signed and numbered 80/200 in pencil on the verso.

Estimate
$35,000 - 55,000 

Sold for $80,500

Photographs

14 Nov 2009
New York