Richard Avedon/Courtesy of Gagosian
If I had to enumerate a list of the most acclaimed photographers in the world, the name of Richard Avedon would be among the first. Among all the competition, the American was one of those men capable of leaving a mark, because With a masterful ability to portray the 20th century, it became one of the most acclaimed lenses not only of the time, but of history. It is enough to review his legacy to realize: he left us many of the most iconic images of advertising and fashion, but he also made a dent in matters of social justice, a subject that he addressed in depth, even accompanying him with his camera. the Civil Rights Movement in the American South.
Now that it is 100 years since he was born in New York, his hometown pays him a spectacular tribute in Avedon 100an exhibition that has already landed at the Gagosian gallery and which stands as one of the most complete samples of the photographer. Thus, in an installation designed by Stefan Beckman and with a photographic selection run by more than 150 people from the cultural scene -from Naomi Campbell, Donatella Versace or Marc Jacobs, through Patti Smith, Brooke Shields and Paloma Picasso, until arriving to François Pinault or Tim Walker-, the gallery covers his six decades of work in a visual presentation that takes us, as we have never seen before, into his universe.
Gagosian
“Photographs are shown in a loose chronological sequence, with particular attention paid to visual cadence, showing together how the artist dissolved the lines between photographic genres and consolidated the status of the medium as a contemporary art form,” the gallery explained in an official statement.
And, it is that, remembering Richard Avedon is synonymous with remembering, too, other celebrities who allowed themselves to be photographed by him. In fact, in Avedon 100 we can find a mural in which different images are presented that narrate his good relationship with some of the most famous celebrities of the last century: Marilyn Monroe, Tina Turner or Hillary Clinton are just a few. However, if something stands out beyond his greatness when it comes to using the objective, it is the reason that led him to do it. An example of this is the selection made by personalities such as Emma Watson, who has decided to choose some of her most symbolic images for this tribute. The activist has not doubted it: she chose a 1965 photograph of Donyale Luna , who would become the first black model to appear on a cover of a major American fashion publisher. There are also images of post-war fashion and references to the incredible work she did on James Baldwin.
What Avedon 100 settles in the Big Apple makes clear one of the sentences that the gallery itself emphasizes in its statement: “In an increasingly digital world, his work is also a testament to the art of film photography“. balance.
2023-05-09 12:00:04
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