An exhibition of portrait images by renowned US photographer Richard Avedon will be showing at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
'Richard Avedon People', an exhibition featuring the portrait work of renowned American photographer Richard Avedon, will run at the Art Gallery of Western Australia from August 17 to November 17. Presenting 80 photographs taken from 1949 to 2002, the curators say it's an in-depth overview of Avedon’s achievements in the art of black and white portraiture.
AGWA Director Stefano Carboni says Avedon’s images, in which he used simple compositions, captured the essence of his subjects in charming and disarming ways. His work is also a catalogue of the who’s who of twentieth-century American culture. In the show influential artists, celebrities, writers, politicians and counterculture leaders including Bob Dylan, Truman Capote, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Malcolm X, are presented alongside portraits of relatively unknown subjects. Carboni says the images "convey Avedon’s profound concern with the emotional and social freedom of individuals".
Carboni says, "Richard Avedon was one of the world’s great photographers. He is known for transforming fashion photography from the late 1940s onwards, and for his revealing portraits of celebrities, artists and political identities. People may be less familiar, however, with his portraiture works which capture ordinary New Yorkers, and the people of America’s West, going about their daily lives. This exhibition brings these lesser-known yet compelling portraits together with his often controversial, always captivating, iconic shots. In doing so, this exhibition provides a rounded and truly inspiring insight into Avedon’s incredible practice."
Avedon changed the face of fashion photography through his exploration of motion and emotion. The curators say Avedon was fascinated by photography’s capacity for suggesting the personality and evoking the life of his subjects. This is evidenced across the works in the exhibition, which span Avedon’s career from his influential fashion photography and minimalist portraitures of well-known identities, to his depictions of America’s working class.
Avedon’s practice entered the public imagination through his long association with influential American publications. He commenced his career photographing for Harper’s Bazaar magazine and then had a 20-year partnership with Vogue. Later he established strong collaborations with Egoiste and The New Yorker, becoming staff photographer for The New Yorker in 1992.
'Richard Avedon People' is the first solo exhibition of Avedon's work to be shown in Western Australia. Perth is the second city to host this exhibition following on from its southern hemisphere launch at Canberra’s National Portrait Gallery in August last year.
The exhibition has been curated by the National Portrait Gallery’s Senior Curator, Dr Christopher Chapman, with the Richard Avedon Foundation, over two years. The foundation was established by Avedon while he was alive and it encourages the study and appreciation of Avedon’s photography through exhibitions, publications and outreach programs.
Richard Avedon People opens on Saturday, August 2, and runs until November 17. Tickets cost $14 for adults and $12 for concessions. Pre-booked groups of 10 cost $10, children 12 years & under cane enter for free.
For more information visit artgallery.wa.gov.au.
Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, August 1955. Photograph by Richard Avedon. © The Richard Avedon Foundation.
Elizabeth Taylor, cock feathers by Anello of Emme, New York studio, July 1, 1964. Photograph by Richard Avedon. © The Richard Avedon Foundation.
Richard Avedon, photographer, New York, July 23, 1969. Photograph by Richard Avedon. © The Richard Avedon Foundation.