From the moment Richard Avedon rose to prominence as a photographer, he brought many celebrities into his studio and photographed them with a large-format (8x10) camera. He did so because he was simply 'delighted by the expressive energy of great performers,' as critic John Lahr puts it.
Performance captures the electric charge between a great photographer and brilliant performers united by purpose and passion. Leading stars and artists from the worlds of film and theater in the second half of the 20th century gave their finest performances in his presence, while Avedon also succeeded in revealing their inner selves.
His portraits are instantly recognizable for their minimalist style: a person looks straight into the camera against a stark white background.
More than two hundred famous faces photographed by Avedon are brought together in Performance, often in photographs that had rarely, if ever, been shown before. Naturally, the book features stars such as Hepburn and Chaplin, Monroe and Garland, Brando and Sinatra. It also includes actors and comedians, pop stars and divas, musicians and dancers, and leading figures from every public medium who form part of our cultural heritage.
Celebrated author and critic John Lahr offers a warm appreciation of the photographer in this volume. It also includes contributions by four accomplished artists—Mike Nichols, André Gregory, Mitsuko Uchida, and Twyla Tharp—who share vivid and moving memories of working with Avedon. Richard Avedon (1923-2004) was one of the most influential photographers of the second half of the last century. He was also a major innovator in modern portrait photography. As a staff photographer for Harper's Bazaar and later for Vogue —appointments through which he transformed fashion photography.
In 1992, he became the first staff photographer in the history of The New Yorker. His work is held in every major museum photography collection, and his many books, including Avedon at Work, have served as models for photobook publishers.
Performance / Richard Avedon is beautifully bound in cloth and opens as a triptych. Loose Avedon prints decorate the inside cover.
Performance / Richard Avedon — Richard Avedon
Pages: 304
Price at the time of publication: €65.76
Importer: Nilsson & Lamm
ISBN: 9780810972889. Language: English. This article refers to the English-language edition.
