Evidence 1944-1994 [Hardcover]

Richard Avedon (Author), Jane Livingston (Author), David A. Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 1994

The definitive account of the life and work of Richard Avedon, to accompany a major retrospective of the photographic work at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With a seeming disregard for genres, photographer Avedon applies the same compositional intelligence to animated fashion shots, nightmarish images of a state mental hospital, austere portraits of politicians, artists, writers, grainy images of drifters and factory workers. This catalogue of a retrospective at Manhattan's Whitney Museum contains many pictures that will be instantly recognizable to readers of Avedon's recent An Autobiography , but it also includes a lot of new, early and unfamiliar work. Defending Avedon against critics who charge him with cold manipulation or sensationalism, New Yorker art critic Gopnik views his work as part of a theatrical tradition in photography, a carefully orchestrated interpretation of late 20th-century life. Livingston, the exhibit's curator, provides a wide-angled critique of Avedon's opus from his 1940s studies of New York City's Central Park to recent portraits of Alabama governor George Wallace, NYC black activist Rev. Al Sharpton and gays in the military.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This large-format book reproduces Avedon's work to the highest standards, documenting his 50 years as a fashion and portrait photographer. Livingston presents a chronology and analysis of his work; Gopnik contributes a thorough biographical essay. With his brutally frank photographic style, Avedon (An Autobiography, LJ 10/15/93) influenced a generation of photographers. Either in his studio or on commission from major illustrated magazines, Avedon seems to have photographed nearly every notable celebrity of the 20th century. His images of everyday people are equally powerful, as exemplified by a series from Vietnam in 1971 and one on drifters and unemployed Americans. The book has a unique design, simultaneously providing an illustrated checklist of the 50-year retrospective exhibit at the Whitney Museum on which the book is based and an illustrated chronology of Avedon's life and work. Those interested in Avedon's career or in the fine arts will want this book, which supplements and interprets the Whitney exhibit. Highly recommended.
Kathleen Collins, New York Transit Museum Archives, Brooklyn
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 183 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (May 10, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067940922X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679409229
• Product Dimensions: 14.4 x 11.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #947,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful roadmap to Avedon's work, February 23, 2000

By 

David A. Frenz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Evidence 1944-1994 (Hardcover)

I'm glad that I own this book but potential buyers should be aware that this is a history of Avedon's work, not a stunning presentation of his photographs. The book contains hundreds of images but most of them are small in size. The images are arranged chronologically with some associated text. The book also contains two essays about Avedon and a detailed bibliography listing press accounts about him. There is also a helpful list of the various books that Avedon has published.

I would recommend his other titles -- "In the American West" for example -- if you want to see the full-size, stunning photographs for which Avedon is famous.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely terrific, June 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Evidence 1944-1994 (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful collection. I have found myself going back to it again and again. I'm not sure Adam Gopnik was such a good choice, although he is a lively writer; but the other New Yorker art critic, Peter Schejhal (sp?) would certainly have been better, as entertaining as Gopnik but more focused and memorable. But this is just a small complaint; overall, I love this book and hope that every library in the world someday owns a copy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Autobiogarphy in pictures, October 2, 2007

By 

A. Francolini (Australia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Evidence 1944-1994 (Hardcover)

You want to see the best of Richard Avedon's photography? Well this is the book for you, no doubt