Avedon: Photographs, 1947-1977, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1978, pl. 127
Richard Avedon: Evidence 1944-1994, New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1994, p. 150
R. Avedon and D. Arbus, The Sixties, London: Random House, 1999, pp. 2-3, colour variant
Richard Avedon: Woman in the Mirror, New York: Abrams, 2005, p. 130
D. Willis, Ara Gallant, Bologna: Damiani, 2010, pp. 10-11
Avedon: Murals & Portraits, New York: Gagosian Gallery, 2012, p. 16
M. Juul Holm, Richard Avedon Photographs 1946-2004, Humlebæk: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2014, n.p.
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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