His photographs come across as natural, taken from life, accidental. And yet they are unsurpassably elegant. Richard Avedon was a pioneer of fashion photography, and many of his images have been imprinted on our visual memory.
When viewing the photographs by Richard Avedon in the context of the "Paparazzi!" exhibition, one can easily get the impression that his style was taken from that of paparazzi. In the case of the series for "Harper's Bazaar," this is actually correct. But strictly speaking, Avedon's typical style--the spontaneous, accidental, in part blurred--developed much earlier. He used it as a deliberate stylistic device, while the same elements in paparazzi photography originates from the conditions under which they work. Richard Avedon was unknowingly a step ahead of the paparazzi.
Photographic experiments very soon brought his signature feature
Avedon began shooting photos for the famous magazine "Harper's Bazaar" as early as the forties. He was the first fashion photographer to expect theatrical qualities from his models. He removed them from the confines of the photo studio and went out with them into the wide world. Photo shoots took place in train stations and train compartments, at the circus and at fairs, on boats and in front of the pyramids in Giza. He took pictures of his models applying lipstick, in conversation, or with their eyes slightly glazed over and holding a glass of wine. The situations come across as natural, taken from life, accidental. The only thing that might cause us to be skeptical is the ever-present, unsurpassable elegance. In particular in the pictures from the fifties and sixties. But, oh yeah, one completely forgets that this is fashion photography. One of Avedon's most famous photographs is certainly the one from 1955 of the American model Dovima wearing a gown by Dior and standing between two elephants.
Richard Avedon, born in 1923 New York City, was fascinated by photography. At twelve he was a member of the camera club of the Young Men's Hebrew Association. While still at college, he enlisted in the photographic section of the Merchant Marine, serving from 1942 to 1944. Besides producing ID photos he had time for photographic experiments that very soon brought his signature feature to light: the blur effect. Many of Avedon's pictures are slightly blurred, and only the main motif, a dress for instance, is in focus. He became a professional photographer, starting to work for "Harper's Bazaar" after he was discharged from the service. Alexey Brodovitch, the artistic director of the magazine at the time, nurtured the talent of the young Avedon, and within only a brief period of time he rose to become the most famous fashion photographer in the world.
Blending fiction with reality
The series being presented in the exhibition "Paparazzi!" was also produced for "Harper's Bazaar." It was shot in 1962 in the streets of Paris and clearly makes reference to Liz Taylor's affair with Richard Burton. Avedon worked with two actors who reenacted familiar scenes featuring the couple, and in doing so blended fiction with reality. In one of the pictures, a nurse can be seen standing next to the couple. Avedon hired her to accompany them out of the hospital. She did not know that she was part of a photo shoot.
The couple in evening attire is surrounded by paparazzi--real paparazzi! Avedon called the photographers and told them that a famous couple would be eating dinner at Maxim's in Paris. The paparazzi came (apparently not questioning who this couple might be) and thus, like the nurse, unknowingly became part of the photo shoot. Avedon sought utmost authenticity in his pictures; at the same time, the boundaries between art and commerce became blurred. This worked well with actor models, better with protagonists who were unwittingly "smuggled" into a photo shoot--more genuineness is hardly possible. The actors who imitated Taylor and Burton in this series also reenacted the scene with the secret kiss. Avedon shot the photograph from a long distance, zooming in on the couple. Pigeons even flew into the picture.
Fiercely criticized for working with black models
The "original kiss" can also be viewed in the exhibition "Paparazzi!" In 1962, paparazzo Marcello Gepetti discovered Liz Taylor and Richard Burton on a yacht. They had met on the movie set of "Cleopatra." The kiss on the yacht exposed their affair--a scandal, as both of them were married at the time.
Avedon's working relationship with "Harper's Bazaar" ended in 1965. He guest edited the April issue, and in this connection he worked with black models, for which he was fiercely criticized. He subsequently left to work for "Vogue," where he stayed for more than twenty years. In 1962 he became the chief photographer for the "New Yorker."
Not only the famous and the beautiful
As a fashion photographer, Richard Avedon not only produced images that belong to today's canon of photography. He developed some of the best advertising campaigns in American history for Versace, Revlon, and Calvin Klein. But he was far from being just a fashion photographer. Avedon created portraits of all of the great names in art and show business. Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Judy Garland, and Marlene Dietrich all posed for him. He was permitted to take exclusive pictures of Jackie Kennedy in the White House. But one does not find only the famous and the beautiful in his photographs. He shot pictures of demonstrations in the United States against the Vietnam War, as well as in Vietnam itself, and produced photos in psychiatric clinics and in the streets of Italy. In Berlin, he documented the turn of the year 1989/90 and the joy over the fall of the Wall. Richard Avedon died in 2004 in San Antonio, Texas.