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Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty Paperback – October 20, 2015

by Merry Foresta (Author)

4.6 48 ratings

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An accessible overview of the work of legendary American photographer Irving Penn

Famous for his fashion portraits and experimentation with still life images, Irving Penn (1917–2009) ranks as one of the foremost photographers of the 20th century. In an illustrious career that spanned nearly 70 years, Penn was a master of both black-and-white and color photography, and his revival of platinum printing in the 1960s and 1970s was a catalyst for significant change in the art world.

Drawing from the extensive holdings of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, including a major gift from The Irving Penn Foundation, this magnificent catalogue compiles 161 of Penn’s iconic images, including a number of unpublished works. Beautifully designed and illustrated, Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty accompanies the first retrospective exhibition of Penn’s work in nearly 20 years and features photographs from all stages of his career, including street scenes from the late 1930s, celebrity portraits, Parisian fashion photographs, and more private studio images. Merry A. Foresta’s captivating essay introduces this photographer to a younger generation and delves into Penn’s use of photography to respond to social and cultural change, speaking to the depths of human existence.

Distributed for the Smithsonian American Art Museum in association with The Irving Penn Foundation

Exhibition Schedule:

Smithsonian American Art Museum
(10/23/15–03/20/16)

Dallas Museum of Art
(04/15/16–08/14/16)

Lesley University, College of Art and Design, Cambridge, MA
(09/10/16–12/16/16)

Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN
(02/24/17–05/21/17)

Wichita Art Museum
(09/30/17–01/07/18)

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Publication date

October 20, 2015
Dimensions

9.25 x 1 x 10.75 inches
ISBN-10

0300214901
ISBN-13

978-0300214901
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Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . provides a comprehensive look at the true range of his work."—Erica Schwiegershausen, T: The New York Times Style Magazine

". . . Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty showcases over 150 of his images, quite a few of which have never been published."—Stephanie Eckardt, New York

Book Description

This fascinating collection of Irving Penn’s iconic photographs speaks to his influential and innovative technique, style, and artistic vision.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Smithsonian American Art Museum; First Edition (October 20, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300214901
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300214901
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.25 x 1 x 10.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,950,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #880 in Fashion Photography (Books)
- #1,276 in Photography Collections & Exhibitions (Books)
- #1,356 in Individual Photographer Monographs

Customer Reviews:
4.6 48 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

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Albert E. Stiegman

Comprehensive Collection of Irving Penn

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2016

Verified Purchase

Catalog from a wonderful show at the National Portrait Gallery. There are numerous books on Irving Penn, this one distinguishes itself in that it covers his career comprehensively, from early "Walker Evans" style documentation to the work that made him famous. Penn is, arguably, our greatest photographer, his grace and eloquence has few rivals. If you are going to buy on book of Irving Penn photographs this is a worthy addition to your library.

7 people found this helpful

benjamin edeline

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2019

Verified Purchase

MASTERPIECE

Rodrigo Coppola

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2018

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wonderful pictures showing another Peen's point of view

I recommend it.

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

Excellent retrospective. Excellent printing. I recommended it to others.

One person found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2017

Verified Purchase

reliable

Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2018

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Great!

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

Fantastic retrospective of this most gifted artist

Amazon Customer

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

Loved it

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Bruce M. Walker

Documents 70 years from the career of one of the world's best photographers

Reviewed in Canada on October 22, 2016

Verified Purchase

I was moved to buy this volume on the advice of Ted Forbes (of The Art of Photography blog) who pointed out how quickly art and photography books go out of print and so if you see a good book on an artist you admire, snap it up. So I did with this one, knowing very little about Irving Penn. And I am so glad I did!

Terrific work in this book, and well reproduced in an excellent layout. It documents 70 years from the career of one of the world's best photographers. Largely black and white, but also lots of colour work, many different genres, iconic shots and previously unpublished work too.

It's a keeper.

Anon

Nearly 5 stars!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2016

Verified Purchase

I have only given this 4 stars as I would have liked to see more of his fashion work, or a bit more text, especially seeing as this is such a big book. However it is beautifully printed, lots of varying subject matter in the photographs. There is an introduction at the start but I haven't brought myself to read it all. Very pleased with this purchase overall.

4 people found this helpful

Luca Gianfrancesco

Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty

Reviewed in Italy on April 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

Le foto, per chi è appassionato di ritratto, sono molto belle (alcune personalmente le ho trovate banali, ma bisogna sempre contestualizzare l'autore ed il periodo storico). Ciò che manca a questo libro, secondo me, è un testo che accompagni il lettore durante la visione delle foto. A questo proposito ho trovato un canale su youtube di un fotografo, si chiama "The art of Photography, dove il libro viene sfogliato ed ogni foto commentata. L'ho trovato molto utile.

2 people found this helpful

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Andy B.

Inspiring

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2018

Verified Purchase

Wonderful! Good quality reproductions of a wide range of Penn's images - still life, portraits, fashion, old shop fronts, grime and gloss. Another reviewer was disappointed by relatively few fashion images. Personally, I'm very happy to see the broader scope of Penn's inspiring imagination.

One person found this helpful

John David

FANTASTIC.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

Fantastic book, The images in the book are so inspiring l always go through it at least once a week even though l have quite a few photography books. Great photographer.

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