Richard Avedon: Relationships Exhibition Brochure

RICHARD AVEDON Relationships

December 15, 2018 – May 15, 2019 Center for Creative Photography

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hotographer Richard Avedon, with a more than six-decade-long career, produced innovative and delightful work in fashion, as well as incisive and captivating portraits. Over the course of his lifetime, he worked with a number of models and a wide range of portrait subjects, creating a powerful body of pictures that allow his viewers to study the likenesses of actors, ballet dancers, celebrities, civil rights activists, heads of state, inventors, musicians, visual artists, and writers. Richard Avedon: Relationships uses a selection of these fashion photographs and portraits, from the extensive collection at the Center for Creative Photography, to delve into his approach to photographing people.

By comparing works, we can enrich our understanding of both his practice and his subjects.

The Center’s holdings of Avedon’s fashion photographs can be roughly grouped into early works that are set “on location” and stage models in the role of actors to evoke a narrative (prior to 1960) and later works that pare away the implied story to focus on the model and her garment. In these later pictures, Avedon often employed a minimal, solid-tone background and frequently put the model in motion, using the fluid shape of her body to reveal the construction, fabric, and flow of the clothing she wore.

Around 1969, Avedon developed what would become a signature approach to his portrait subjects.

Among the most important elements was the use of a blank white background, which allowed him to eliminate the potentially distracting elements of a setting and emphasize qualities of posture, gesture, and facial expression.

Additionally, he worked primarily with a large format camera, photographing near enough to his subject that they fill much of the frame, thus heightening the viewer’s awareness of the negative space between the figure and the border. The interplay between figure and void, body and space, solid form and picture-defining edge is critical to the power of Avedon’s images.

It is not only the compositional aspects that make Avedon’s work so entrancing, but also their intimacy. He creates powerfully descriptive portraits that bring viewers close to his subjects.

The ability to see each hair in someone’s eyebrows, the contours of each facial line or wrinkle, or the texture of a sitter’s clothes puts the viewer at a distance typically reserved for spouses, lovers, parents or children. In that private space, we are allowed to linger, slowly absorbing the details that describe someone’s face, their hands, their clothes, their body.

For instance, in Louise Nevelson, sculptress, New York City, May 13, 1975, we can admire the seventyfive-year old’s close-cropped hair, the way her eyes examine us from behind lashes heavily coated in mascara, the subtle sheen of her lip gloss, or the stunning appliqué on the sleeves of her coat.

COVER: Richard Avedon, Renée, “The New Look of Dior,” Place de la Concorde, Paris, August 1947.

Richard Avedon Archive/Purchase All Photographs by Richard Avedon © The Richard Avedon Foundation

Avedon offers viewers the opportunity to study faces without crossing any socially imposed boundaries about staring too long; he encourages viewers to think about the people before them, the lives they have lived, their private personalities and public personas, their struggles, accomplishments, disappointments, and joys.

Richard Avedon: Relationships explores two questions: the first, what can we learn about Avedon, the sitter, or the relationship between the two when Avedon photographs the same person over an extended period of time or across a sequence of pictures; the second, how do Avedon’s portrait and fashion images shift when he includes multiple people rather than a single person?

Louise Nevelson, sculptress, New York, May 13, 1975.

Richard Avedon Archive/Gift of the artist

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SAME PERSON OVER TIME PORTRAITS Avedon had the opportunity to photograph a number of his portrait subjects on more than one occasion. Within Richard Avedon: Relationships it is possible to see painter Jasper Johns in 1965 and 1976; novelist Carson McCullers in 1956 and 1958; politician George Wallace in 1963 and 1976; and poet Allen Ginsberg in 1963 and 1970. Perhaps the most dramatic and powerful example of Avedon’s ongoing photographic relationship is that with his friend and collaborator, Truman Capote.

Capote, American novelist and short story writer, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1925. He became a celebrity at age twenty-four when he published, in 1948, the novel Other Voices, Other Rooms, to critical acclaim and controversy.

The semi-autobiographical novel recounts the story of a son’s search for his father, but the book distinguished itself by its narrator’s acceptance of his homosexuality, remarkable for the time.

Avedon first photographed Capote in 1949. Then, in 1959, they collaborated on Avedon’s first book: Observations. A collection of Avedon’s portraits, the book includes the likes of African American vocalist Marian Anderson, artist-celebrity Pablo Picasso, and oceanographer and explorer Jacques Cousteau. The book was accompanied by an essay and comments on the photographs by Capote, and was designed by Harper’s Bazaar’s legendary art director Alexey Brodovitch.

The next year, Capote and Avedon worked together again. While Capote was in Garden City, Kansas in 1960 researching the book In Cold Blood, the chilling true crime novel describing the sensational 1959 quadruple murder of the Clutter family in rural Kansas, Avedon joined him on four seperate occasions.

The photographer made portraits of the accused killers Perry Smith and Richard “Dick” Hickock, who were awaiting trial for the murders.

In Truman Capote, New York, October 10, 1955, the writer was just 31 years old. The picture features the young man unclothed, eyes closed, arms behind his torso, and chin raised. Avedon surrounds Capote with wide margins of empty space, emphasizing his slight frame and setting him apart from the world, casting him as a near-angelic figure. The photographer’s choice of a pose underscores the vulnerability of the young Capote: he is laid bare for our scrutiny and delectation.

Richard Avedon: Relationships

Avedon’s last portrait of Capote was made in 1974 when the writer was 50. The lithe sensuality of the earlier image is gone. Avedon now focuses on Capote’s head – which fills much of the frame – off center and sitting atop a dark shirt, jacket, and bowtie.

Capote looks out from puffy eyes, his thinning hair retreating from his spotted forehead. A large welt on his head and a raised sore on his lower lip make you wonder, “What has happened here?” The mind that produced some of America’s most acclaimed writings of the twentieth century is there, but instead, we see the face, with its age and damage.

The fluid motion and grace of the younger man’s body have been replaced by a set jaw and an intractable stare. Each of these portraits of Capote is enriched by the other, and by knowing that Avedon was not just Capote’s photographer but a personal friend and professional peer.

Truman Capote, New York, October 10, 1955.

Richard Avedon Archive/Gift of the artist Truman Capote, writer, New York, December 18, 1974.

Richard Avedon Archive/Gift of the artist

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Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, August 1955 Richard Avedon Archive/Gift of the artist

FASHION There were many models with whom Avedon worked extensively. Dovima, China Machado, Suzy Parker, Jean Shrimpton, Penelope Tree, Twiggy, and Veruschka all appear in many of Avedon’s celebrated fashion photographs.

Models often act as muses to photographers and Avedon derived inspiration from the women with whom he worked. For instance, Dovima and Avedon had a unique kinship that allowed them to make spectacular photographs, such as the iconic Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, August 1955. Dovima described it this way, “We became like mental Siamese twins, with me knowing what he wanted before he explained it. He asked me to do extraordinary things, but I always knew I was going to be part of a great picture.”

Suites of images featuring Penelope Tree or Jean Shrimpton reveal how Avedon might work with the particular qualities of a model’s face or physique, and a group of three photographs of Dorian Leigh from 1949 demonstrates how Avedon worked with her to bring out a range of characters, transforming her with different settings and clothing to embody distinctly different roles.

Richard Avedon: Relationships

In Dorian Leigh, coat by Dior, Avenue Montaigne, Paris, August 1949, the model is swathed by the fur collar and voluminous sleeves of her coat. She sits on the seat of a cabriolet with a hat box, a bouquet of roses, and a puppy nestled alongside her. Leigh looks down to her lit cigarette, held in a gloved hand, as smoke swirls before her. Her soft bangs, gentle expression, and distracted attention suggest an innocence and approachability, despite her elegance and beauty.

In contrast, Leigh presents a formidable and haughty figure in Dorian Leigh, evening dress by Piguet, Helena Rubinstein’s apartment, Île Saint-Louis, Paris, August 1949. Avedon presents Leigh in profile, standing before a mirror, lost in consideration of her reflection. Hands on hips; hair, makeup, and jewelry all perfectly arranged; and posed in a setting that asserts high class, refinement, and style, Leigh here becomes a style icon, whose spectacular, sculptural dress and confident self-presentation signal her exceptional nature.

Leigh again transforms before Avedon’s lens in Dorian Leigh, Schiaparelli rhinestones, Pré-Catelan, Paris, August 1949, in which we find ourselves standing alongside her at a crowded evening event – a gala, a fancy dinner, or perhaps a high-style wedding. Avedon depicts her dark hair elegantly adorned with sparkling jewels. With her hand resting on the lapel of her appreciatively smiling date, we see her in the midst of a real, open-mouthed laugh. This Dorian Leigh is expressive, engaged in a social life, engrossed in an experience, and deeply connected to the man she is with.

Avedon was so talented at creating these tableaux, with just the right balance of details and ambiguity, lighting and environment, action and pose, that the difference between these “scenes” is clear and distinct. His rapport with Leigh, and her talent at realizing his various ideas allowed them to produce images that continue to appeal to audiences seventy years later.

Dorian Leigh, coat by Dior, Avenue Montaigne, Paris, August 1949.

Richard Avedon Archive/Purchase Dorian Leigh, evening dress by Piguet, Helena Rubinstein’s apartment, Île Saint-Louis, Paris, August 1949.

Richard Avedon Archive/Purchase Dorian Leigh, Schiaparelli rhinestones, Pré-Catelan, Paris, August 1949.

Richard Avedon Archive/Purchase

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SINGLE FIGURE OR MULTIPLE FASHION Avedon’s early fashion photographs (those made prior to 1960) do so much more than describe the clothing. Crafted for the pages of women’s magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, two of the publications for which he worked, they effectively transport viewers to a world of glamour and recreation, in which beautiful women move elegantly and effortlessly through lives of leisure. These cinematic pictures encourage the viewer to create a narrative. As you look at the woman gracefully hopping off the curb, umbrella in hand, you fill in a story, personalizing the image, and connecting to it. Some of the scenes employ a minimum of environmental detail, while others include elaborate locations and multiple “actors.” Either way, Avedon creates the sense that you’re seeing one moment in a larger storyline – and naturally, it is a story of pleasure and ease, one that women might imagine could be theirs, if only they owned the right clothes.

As for Avedon’s use of more than one person in these filmic photographs, he is strategic in his employment of additional figures. For instance, starting with the work Carmen, Homage to Munkácsi, coat by Cardin, Place FrançoisPremier, Paris, 1957 of Carmen in mid-jump, Avedon focuses on her, at the center of the frame. Her buoyant mood and graceful leap express a sense of spirited contentment. Compare the simplicity of the Carmen photograph with Suzy Parker with Robin Tattersall and Gardner McKay, evening dress by Lanvin-Castillo, Café des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1956 that shows Parker, folded over a pinball machine within the mirrored interior of the celebrated Café des Beaux-Arts. Backlighting makes the ruffled skirt glow, as two men in tuxedos lean against the machine and wait while she plays. Avedon uses the additional “actors” in the scene to enrich the sense of glamour, to make the woman seem even more desirable, and to add complexity to the narrative – we as viewers get to imagine the scenario that led our heroine to be the subject of not one, but two, men’s attention. Similarly, in Renée, “The New Look of Dior,” Place de la Concorde, Paris, August 1947 (cover), Avedon captures not only the dramatic silhouette of model Renée’s “New Look” suit – with its small, fitted waist and full, glamorous skirt – but also the way Renée attracts attention from a passerby. Whether including a single figure or more, a similar effect is achieved – to create a narrative in which viewers enjoy imagining themselves. When our model is joined by others, however, the relationship between her and the attending men deepens the plot, creates complexity, and reminds us that not only is our attention focused on her, but she holds the attention of the people within the frame as well, creating a relationship among the figures, as well as to the viewer.

Richard Avedon: Relationships

Carmen, Homage to Munkácsi, coat by Cardin, Place François-Premier, Paris, 1957. Richard Avedon Archive/Purchase

Suzy Parker with Robin Tattersall and Gardner McKay, evening dress by Lanvin-Castillo, Café des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1956.

Richard Avedon Archive/Purchase

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PORTRAITS Within a large collection like that of the Center for Creative Photography, it is possible to study a number of works, and thus better understand the choices and techniques used by a photographer to achieve their effects. Avedon’s combination of talent and skill, technical proficiency and attunement to his individual subjects, allowed him to make portraits that are riveting presentations of the people he photographed.

Indeed, he achieved mastery of the portraiture form. It is necessary, however, to remember that all photographs are constructions; each is the finished product of a series of choices made by the photographer. There is a hopeful tendency to believe that powerful portraits such as those by Avedon reveal something of the subject and it has even been said that good portraits “capture the essence” of the person they depict.

While it may be true that portraits can be potent and evocative, it is misleading to assume that they convey some kind of essential truth. Photographs are subjective creations, and portraits capture a mere fraction of a second from the vast and complex lives led by their subjects. Avedon once said, “My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph.” Just as Avedon’s portraits are subjective constructions, so too are a viewer’s response to them. Each person encountering these portraits may see them differently, depending on what life experience they bring to the photograph.

A set of portraits of June Leaf and Robert Frank is a useful example of how Avedon worked differently with single versus multiple figures. Let us begin with the double portrait of married artists Robert Frank and June Leaf entitled Robert Frank, photographer, and June Leaf, sculptress, Mabou Mines, Nova Scotia, July 18, 1975. Frank stands, shirtless, with his hands on his hips, facing the camera. To his left, stands Leaf, the left side of her body cut from the photograph. Whereas Frank’s stance suggests strength and power, Leaf clasps her hands in front of her body, in a posture much more demure and ambivalent.

Avedon constructed the picture to suggest the primacy of Frank, the marginality of Leaf; the dominance of the male figure, the diminution of the female. Other than a wisp of her hair lifting towards her husband in the breeze, no indication of the depth of their real-life bond is shown.

Richard Avedon: Relationships

Compare Leaf from the double portrait with June Leaf, sculptress, Mabou Mines, Nova Scotia, July 17, 1975, in which she stands at the center of the frame, arms folded, hands on opposite shoulders. Her dark hair, wild and unruly, frames her face and suggests strength: she is unmoved by fashion or expectation. Beneath her arms, her body is solid, the shape of her breasts visible through her ribbed t-shirt. Her expression is equally firm: her eyes offer acceptance, her lips are parted but she does not smile, her concentration is intense, her face peaceful. The visible veins on the back of her right hand further emphasize her physicality, her unyielding presence. She is as she is, presenting herself before Avedon, steady and self-composed. Avedon later spoke of his experience with Leaf, saying, “June is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever photographed – maybe, in part, because she’s not a professional beauty. She makes me feel I’m just learning to photograph women.”

The masculine presence Avedon creates for Frank in the double portrait also contrasts with Frank’s solo portrait. In Robert Frank, photographer, Mabou Mines, Nova Scotia, July 17, 1975, Frank appears lost in thought: Avedon has captured him in a moment of distraction from the process of being photographed. His loose sweatshirt hides his body and creates the appearance of droopiness as it sags off his sloped shoulders. His hand reaches forward to rub the chin of a dog visible at the bottom of the image, but he does not make eye contact with the dog either. With this portrait of Frank, Avedon suggests an introspective, gentle man.

Within Richard Avedon: Relationships – as well as throughout the entirety of Avedon’s vast body of work – his sensitivity and nuanced approach to his subjects is repeatedly evident, asserting his adeptness in the realms of both fashion photography and portraiture.

—Rebecca A. Senf, Chief Curator, Center for Creative Photography

(AT LEFT) Robert Frank, photographer, and June Leaf, sculptress, Mabou Mines, Nova Scotia, July 18, 1975.

Richard Avedon Archive/Gift of the artist June Leaf, sculptress, Mabou Mines, Nova Scotia, July 18, 1975.

Richard Avedon Archive/Gift of the artist Robert Frank, photographer, Mabou Mines, Nova Scotia, July 17, 1975.

Richard Avedon Archive/Gift of the artist

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AVEDON & THE CENTER The collection of Richard Avedon photographs at the Center for Creative Photography represents the best work of the photographer. These prints range from his earliest photographs, made at the dawn of post-war Europe, to the last portraits he ever made. The 444 prints that comprise this gift read as a cultural zeitgeist of the last half of the 20th century. From artists to activists, comedians to the common man, fascists to fashion models, musicians to murderers, socialites to the enslaved – these images represent the cultural touchstones that created the visual landscapes that we inhabit today.

Every piece was constructed with the same exacting attention to detail. Each print, permeated with the weight of its relevance to the larger society, was created with the precision of quality of tone and sharpness of grain that defined the best of photography. These photographs are a union of Avedon’s conceptual rigor and the rigidity of his craftsmanship.

Richard Avedon was determined to place his legacy in an institution that would mirror the seriousness that he brought to photography, and he found that the Center was completely aligned in this endeavor. In March of 1989, he selected a majority of what he believed to be his most important work, loaded it onto a semi-truck parked outside his studio, and sent his oeuvre to the deserts of the Southwest – creating the single largest archive of his master prints held by any institution.

The Center for Creative Photography is more than a repository of photographs. It is more than an archive to the objects and artifacts that make up the foundation of the medium. It is a reflection of the values and vices of artists who recorded the events of their histories. Richard Avedon’s gift of the best of his work to the Center is a tacit agreement that his legacy would be bound to an institution that is committed to the preservation and promotion of the photographic arts.

The Richard Avedon Foundation is grateful and proud that the Center is celebrating Avedon’s gift and showcasing the breadth of this significant body of work to their broader audience.

—James Martin, Executive Director of The Richard Avedon Foundation

IMAGE: Richard Avedon loading the first shipment of gifted prints to the Center for Creative Photography, New York, March 9, 1989

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