5
Richard Avedon
Robert Frank, photographer, Mabou Mines, Nova Scotia, July 17
- Estimate
- $30,000 - 40,000
$52,500
Lot Details
Gelatin silver print.
1975
42 1/4 x 33 1/4 in. (107.3 x 84.5 cm)
Signed in pencil, numbered 9/10 in ink, title, date and copyright credit reproduction limitation stamps on the reverse of the linen flush-mount.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
"A tension exists in Avedon’s best portraits between a desire to connect with the sitter, to experience a sharp interaction in the process of taking the picture, and a desire to transcend that moment of connection, to express through the portrait something about the sitter’s meaning in his or her historic circumstances." - Jane Livingston, "The Art of Richard Avedon"
Literature
Richard Avedon
American | B. 1923 D. 2004From 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.
Browse Artist