Richard Avedon Portraits [Hardcover]

Maria Morris Hambourg (Author), Mia Fineman (Author), Richard Avedon (Author), Philippe de Montebello (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 2002

Richard Avedon is one of the most influential photographers of the second half of the 20th century. His portrait work comprises an authoritative record of the era and, as a staff photographer of "Harper's Bazaar" and later for "Vogue", Avedon redefined what a fashion photograph is. With uncompromising directness, Avedon portrayed his subjects against a white background, with no extraneous details to distract from tthe essential specificity of face, gaze, dress and gesture. His work includes mesmerizing images of Truman Capote, Willem de Kooning, Samuel Beckett, Francis Bacon and Marily Monroe, as well as of the uncelebrated Americans of his project "In the American West". Spanning Richard Avedon's entire career, starting from the late 1940s, this volume offers a selection of his photographic portraits. It is published to accompany a major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The subject of an upcoming retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Avedon long ago entered the canon of fashion photography and modern portraiture. His trademark images of people standing against white backdrops, at once unflinching and glamorous in their effect, have helped define our idea of celebrity itself (if Avedon shot them, they must be famous). This slipcased, accordion-fold collection of 50 black and white portraits from the past 50 years, produced for the exhibition and including an essay by curator Maria Morris Hambourg and Met research assistant Mia Fineman, as well as a brief word from the photographer himself, will do little to change Avedon's reputation. It offers, in essence, a greatest hits collection of well-known faces---Andy Warhol, William Burroughs, and that pale, hairless beekeeper covered in bugs. For those unfamiliar with Avedon's work, or for true completists, the classy package of tri-tone reproductions will prove enticing.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Richard Avedon is one of the most influential photographers of the second half of the 20th century. His portrait work comprises an authoritative record of our era. His many books have set a standard for photographic publishing. As a staff photographer for Harper's Bazaar and later for Vogue, Avedon redefined what a fashion photograph is. In 1992 he was named the first staff photographer in the history of The New Yorker.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First edition (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810935406
• ISBN-13: 978-0810935402
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #728,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book as Art, November 9, 2002

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Richard Avedon Portraits (Hardcover)

RICHARD AVEDON PORTRAITS is a stunning work, not only because of the usual expected glory of his photographs, but because of the genuinely artistic concept behind this catalogue for a Museum Exhibition. Slipcased, the book opens as an accordian with single and diptych/triptych photographs viewable by placing the unscrolled book on a tabletop or bookshelf. Not that there are any new moments here: this is a collection of some of Avedon's famous faces and bodies, curated for a specific purpose. But to view Andy Warhol together with his co-creators of his photos and films standing on one page clothed and on another nude intensifies the manner in which Avedon's manner of capturing the star's works so well. We are treated to a full face of Francis Bacon and in the next panel a partial view of his entire body. All manner of odd characters inhabit these deliciously synchronous pages. The back side of this tableaux discusses Avedon, his influences and appropriations from painting and other art forms, and does what it sets out to do - make the pieces of the tableaux relevant in the history of the time in which they were photographed. This is a clever and rewarding book and the book itself becomes art.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond art book, beyond photography, December 31, 2005

By 

Fernando Melendez "fermed" (San Diego, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richard Avedon Portraits (Hardcover)

It is not really a book, but an art object: accordion folded and neatly ensconced in a box, its heavy cardboard structure makes it a durable thing, one that transcends the notion of a mere "book." It is an object of intrinsic beauty and the mere holding of it in one's hands conveys the good taste, fine quality, and the superb craftmanship that were blended to create PORTRAITS.

One side of the fold contains text -with some pictures- and the other the portfolio of portraits. Maria Hambourg and Mia Fineman collaborate in the essay "Avedon's Endgame," which presents, analyzes and brings into focus the extraordinary talent behind the portraits; and Richard Avedon gives us a touching essay called "Borrowed Dogs," in which he addresses some of his unquiet talents. The other side is one's private gallery of 27 pictures (including the covers) to be savored at home, each image a meticulous print. In all it is an extraordinary performance by those involved, and a jewel to possess.

Avedon has pushed the borders of his art far beyond picture taking: a master psychologist, his portraits are potent statements about the soul and the fears and the anger and the dilapidation and the triumph and the humanity of his subjects. His pictures are so intense and revealing that the viewer cannot remain neutral. The diptych of Clarence Lippard, a drifter, makes one see more than we have any right to ask for: because if we must view the horror of a wasted life on one panel we must also accept the defiant triumphalism and humor that the second panel conveys. Waste no pity on Mr. Lippard, he asks no such thing from you.

I shall often return to this jewel for solace; and for a jolt about the meaning of being alive and a human being.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Portraits' was a beautiful composition of Avedon's work, August 18, 2005

By 

Stephanie Bueltel (Sunny San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Richard Avedon Portraits (Hardcover)

Not only was I excited about the low price offered by amazon.com for this book, I couldn't believe the wealth of information it withheld. The book itself is innovating, working as an accordian-style setup with text on one side and full-size, beautiful portraits on the other. The written portions spoke of Avedon in his early years, what his inspirations were, and how the affected his work later on. As a young photographer, this was valuable information for me.

Avedon speaks closely of his work, and his persistance of breaking through fake smiles and charlatans, seeking out the truth in people, from the famous to the overlooked. My favorite photograph is of a drifter named Clarence Lippard, a man Avedon randomly came across and photographed. This drive, this exploration that possessed Avedon was a beautiful thing, and this showcase of his work greatly portrayes it.