The International Center of Photography (ICP) is currently featuring a wonderful exhibition on fashion photographer Richard Avedon. There are nearly 200 works on display, spanning his entire career from 1944-2000. The show includes his photography from Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, The New Yorker, and beyond. It is truly amazing how Avedon captured the changing tides of fashion decade after decade. And with such imagination and beauty…
I was immediately drawn to Avedon’s pictures from the 1940s and 50s. During this time, his work revived the glamour and excitement of prewar Paris. “With his directorial skills, he created luxuriously romantic romps with his favorite models, including Dovima, Suzy Parker, Sunny Harnett, and Carmen,” the program noted. These photographs are resplendent. I love how he depicts the energy, the mystique and the sensuality of a night in Paris. There seems to be a story behind each photograph, and when you look at them, you can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen next.
Here are a couple of my favorites from that era:
Throughout the exhibit, you can observe fashion moving in new directions — changes in the way the models look and how the sets are designed, etc. There’s a great fashion spread with Suzy Parker and Mike Nichols from Harper’s Bazaar in 1962. The two are shown fending off relentless paparazzi as they cavort through Paris. It’s cheeky and fun and foreshadows the celebrity craze that took root in the 1960s with rock’n'roll and escalated over time.
There are so many powerful images in the show. I keep envisioning those early photographs from Paris, and I feel a sense of bittersweetness. Glamour is a little lost in what’s happening in fashion today. These shots really capture women having fun – women who are strong, who are beautiful, and who are embracing the moment. I find these pictures to be as wonderful today as when they were taken 60 years ago.
On a final note, some inspiring words from Avedon:
If you are a fashion lover and in New York, Avedon Fashion: 1944-2000 is a must-see. The exhibition is running at the IFC through September 6, 2009.
June 6, 2009 at 8:51 am
I’m wondering if this is the same exhibit which came to the Jeu de Paume last year in Paris. It was fabulous! Anyone with a love of fashion cannot but be astonished at how well these images have aged. They still manage to convey a life and vitality after so many decades. My favorite image is of Dovima admiring herself in the bathroom mirror of Helena Rubinstein’s Ile Saint Louis apartment circa late 40’s (it’s on my inspiration corkboard!). Pitch perfect.
July 5, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Avedon was an amazing photographer and I give credit to his images for influencing my love for photography. I hope the exhibits get to Vancouver, Canada sometime. I’d love to see these works here too!