Richard Avedon - Photographs London Friday, October 25, 2019 | Phillips

Photographs

London Auction 25 October 2019

  • Provenance

    Gagosian, New York
    Christie's, Paris, 8 November 2018, lot 61

  • Literature

    Richard Avedon - Photographs 1946-2004, Humlebæk: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2008, n.p. (variant)
    R. Avedon, An Autobiography, London: Jonathan Cape, 1993, pl. 214 (variant)
    Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power, Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 2008, p. 233 (variant)

  • Catalogue Essay

    ‘Bacon immediately acted the role of the private Bacon with the greatest purity and economy of gesture, and yet it was filled with authentic feeling. Without my saying a word, he understood what my portrait was about, what it called for from him, and he still remained true to himself. No one could act Bacon but Bacon. On this perfect, clear Sunday, facing the Eiffel Tower, he achieved an honourable and perfect performance.’
    Richard Avedon

  • 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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Property from a Distinguished Private Collection

46

Richard Avedon

Francis Bacon, artist, Paris, April 11

1979
Gelatin silver print, flush-mounted to linen.
Image: 100 x 78.3 cm (39 3/8 x 30 7/8 in.)
Frame: 111.5 x 90 cm (43 7/8 x 35 3/8 in.)
Signed, numbered 9/10 in pencil, copyright credit reproduction limitation, title, date and edition stamps on the reverse of the flush-mount.

Estimate
£80,000 - 120,000 

Sold for £81,250

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Photographs

London Auction 25 October 2019