Irving Penn - Photographs London Wednesday, November 7, 2012 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Hamiltons Gallery, London

  • Literature

    Passage: A Work Record, New York: Alfred A. Knopf Callaway, 1991, p. 12
    C. Westerbeck, ed., Irving Penn: A Career in Photography, Art Institute of Chicago, Little Brown and Co., 1997, p. 27
    J. Szarkowski, Irving Penn: Still Life, London: Thames & Hudson, 2001, n.p., there titled Fish made of fish, New York

  • Catalogue Essay

    From the very beginning of his now notable and in some cases legendary fashion shots, Irving Penn seemed to be working in still life – using the living flesh of the model in synchronization with the surrounding objects, and splicing together their textures as objects without concern for making the distinction between the dormant or pulsating. Evidence of human personality or character is left consciously outside the studio. Sometimes Penn would separate the sitter or model more definitely from the other components by decentralizing his preferred still life template, delicately dissecting the composition by placing the sitter near a cornucopia of possessions, or general associated detritus. In Fish, New York, c. 1939, the photographer manifests not only his talent for creating a witty, compelling variation on a theme but also the steadfast trademarks which punctuate his oeuvre – quest for image perfection, deliverance of immaculate technique and the far-reaching vision of a discerning eye.

  • Artist Biography

    Irving Penn

    American • 1917 - 2009

    Arresting portraits, exquisite flowers, luscious food and glamorous models populate Irving Penn's meticulously rendered, masterful prints. Penn employed the elegant simplicity of a gray or white backdrop to pose his subjects, be it a model in the latest Parisian fashion, a famous subject or veiled women in Morocco.

    Irving Penn's distinct aesthetic transformed twentieth-century elegance and style, with each brilliant composition beautifully articulating his subjects. Working across several photographic mediums, Penn was a master printmaker. Regardless of the subject, each and every piece is rendered with supreme beauty. 

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55

Fish, New York

c. 1939
Platinum palladium print, printed 1983.
34.9 × 53.8 cm (13 3/4 × 21 1/8 in)
Signed, titled, dated, numbered '8/40', annotated 'Print made 1983' in pencil and copyright credit reproduction limitation and edition stamps on the reverse of the flush-mount.

Estimate
£15,000 - 20,000 

Photographs

8 November 2012
London