Avedon, << AV uh don, >> Richard (1923-2004), an American photographer, is credited with raising fashion photography to an art form. Avedon also became one of the most acclaimed portrait photographers of the 1900’s.
Avedon revolutionized the way in which high-fashion companies and advertising agencies presented their visual images. He took his models out of the studio and put them in real-life settings. He also encouraged them to show real emotions instead of the blank expressions that had been customary in fashion photography. When Avedon worked in his studio, he eliminated props and shot his subjects against blank gray or white backgrounds.
Avedon was born on May 15, 1923, in New York City. He dropped out of high school at the age of 17, determined to become a poet. He turned to photography while serving in the Merchant Marine from 1942 to 1944, during World War II. Avedon began shooting photographs for the noted fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar in 1945. Avedon remained as a photographer for Harper’s Bazaar until 1965. He was a photographer for Vogue magazine from 1966 to 1990 and joined The New Yorker magazine in 1992.
Numerous collections of Avedon’s photographs have been published, sometimes with texts or introductions by noted authors. These collections include Observations (1959) with text by Truman Capote, Nothing Personal (1964) with text by James Baldwin, and Evidence: 1944-1994 (1994). Avedon’s photographs have been exhibited in major art museums throughout the world. He also wrote An Autobiography (1993). Avedon died on Oct. 1, 2004.
