“The snake wound up her body very slowly. Nobody was telling it what to do. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. When the snake got to her ear, he kissed her and put out his tongue. Then the shoot was over and I was crying.”
—Polly Mellen, Fashion Editor, Vogue US, 1979-1990The brilliance of Richard Avedon’s portraits lies in the effortless beauty and perfection of his prints. On 14 June 1981, Avedon photographed the actress Nastassja Kinski, intertwined with a boa constrictor for American Vogue. As Fashion Editor Polly Mellen recalls, ‘I had asked [Kinski] what she liked, and she said, “Snakes.” So, with [Avedon] we imagined this encounter.’ This arresting portrait with the subject gazing directly at the camera makes visible the intensity of her sensuality.
