The Kunsthal Rotterdam is hosting an extensive exhibition devoted to American photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004). This exhibition, titled Relationships, includes more than 130 photographs that highlight both Avedon's innovative fashion photography and his distinctive portraits. His powerful, expressive portraits include writer Truman Capote, actress Marlene Dietrich, musician Bob Dylan, artist Andy Warhol and actress and model Nastassja Kinski. Relationships celebrates Avedon's innovative approach and creativity, showing how he manages to capture the complexity and fragility of human relationships.
Richard Avedon was a pioneer in fashion and portrait photography. Throughout his career, he often photographed his models multiple times, emphasizing the evolution in their character and the unique relationship between photographer and subject. In the exhibition Richard Avedon: Relationships, you will get a broad overview of his work, insight into his methods, and discover how Avedon's iconic portraits of famous actors, dancers, artists and literary luminaries continue to be influential in photography.
DYNAMISM AND GLAMOUR
Avedon began his career in 1944 at leading magazines Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, where he revolutionized photography by photographing models in vivid and realistic settings, as opposed to the static poses common at the time. With his cinematic images, Avedon created a narrative that took the viewer into a world of glamour and entertainment. He was able to forge unique bonds with his models, such as American supermodel Dovima. Their collaboration led to the iconic fashion photograph Dovima with Elephants (1955), in which the model poses in a Dior gown between two elephants, emphasizing the contrast between beauty and the beast. The portrait of Nastassja Kinski (1981), made for American Vogue, also became world-famous for its timeless eroticism.
INTENSITY OF PORTRAITS
Avedon's portrait photography is characterized by positioning his models against a distinctive white background, placing the focus on the individual. Each work offers an intimate view of the person portrayed, as if seen by a close partner or family member. The portraits show even the smallest details such as wrinkles and eyebrow hairs, through which Avedon captures the emotion and vulnerability of his subjects.
INNY BAND
Avedon's portraits, such as those of American poet and writer Allen Ginsberg, demonstrate his ability to visualize the interconnectedness between his subjects. In a 1963 intimate portrait of Ginsberg and his partner, posing nude, he captures their relaxed demeanor. Years later, in a family portrait, Avedon manages to aptly capture the discomfort between Ginsberg and his family. The double portrait of Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni and his wife Erica (1993) shows the mutual dependence and support within their relationship.
ABOUT RICHARD AVEDON
Born in New York in 1923, Richard Avedon began photographing during World War II as an assistant photographer with the U.S. Merchant Marine. In 1945, his professional career began at Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, and he later worked for The New Yorker and Rolling Stone, among others. Avedon photographed many celebrities and prominent figures from the arts, politics and entertainment, and ran his own commercial photography studio, where he worked with such renowned brands as Calvin Klein, Revlon and Versace. His work has been exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, International Center of Photography (New York), National Portrait Gallery (Canberra), Foam (Amsterdam) and is part of collections such as that of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), among others. Avedon also founded The Richard Avedon Foundation.
Avedon also published several influential books, including:
- "Observations" (1959): This book, with an essay by Truman Capote, is one of Avedon's earliest and most influential publications.
- "Nothing Personal" (1964): A collaboration with writer James Baldwin, this book explores social issues through photography and text.
- "Alice in Wonderland: The Forming of a Company, the Making of a Play" (1973): This book documents the creative process behind a stage production.
- "Portraits" (1976): A collection of Avedon's most iconic portraits.
- "In the American West" (1985): A series of portraits of ordinary people from the western United States, offering a raw and unadorned picture of American life.
- "An Autobiography" (1993): This book provides an overview of Avedon's career through his most personal and professional works.
- "The Sixties" (1999): A retrospective documenting the turbulent 1960s through the lens of Avedon's camera.