Richard Avedon - Photographs New York Tuesday, October 1, 2013 | Phillips

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  • Catalogue Essay

    “Avedon had a picture in his head, so you didn’t have to do a lot of stuff to show him what you could do. He had already pictured everything. He saw beauty and he knew how to put light on the garment. After World War II he tweaked the imagination of women to show them life beyond wartime.”
    -Carmen

    Please reference lot 194 for an essay on Carmen and this collection.

  • 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.

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CARMEN: PHOTOGRAPHS OF A FASHION ICON

201

Untitled

1957
Gelatin silver print.
9 3/4 x 7 5/8 in. (24.8 x 19.4 cm)

Estimate
$10,000 - 15,000 

Sold for $12,500

Contact Specialist
Vanessa Kramer Hallett
Worldwide Head, Photographs
vhallett@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1245

Photographs

New York 30 September & 1 October 2013