Property from a Distinguished Private Collection
46
Richard Avedon
Francis Bacon, artist, Paris, April 11
- Estimate
- £80,000 - 120,000
£81,250
Lot Details
Gelatin silver print, flush-mounted to linen.
1979
Image: 100 x 78.3 cm (39 3/8 x 30 7/8 in.)
Frame: 111.5 x 90 cm (43 7/8 x 35 3/8 in.)
Frame: 111.5 x 90 cm (43 7/8 x 35 3/8 in.)
Signed, numbered 9/10 in pencil, copyright credit reproduction limitation, title, date and edition stamps on the reverse of the flush-mount.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
‘Bacon immediately acted the role of the private Bacon with the greatest purity and economy of gesture, and yet it was filled with authentic feeling. Without my saying a word, he understood what my portrait was about, what it called for from him, and he still remained true to himself. No one could act Bacon but Bacon. On this perfect, clear Sunday, facing the Eiffel Tower, he achieved an honourable and perfect performance.’
Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon
Provenance
Literature
Richard Avedon
American | B. 1923 D. 2004From the inception of Richard Avedon's career, first at Harper's Bazaar and later at Vogue, Avedon challenged the norms for editorial photography. His fashion work gained recognition for its seemingly effortless and bursting energy, while his portraits were celebrated for their succinct eloquence. "I am always stimulated by people," Avedon has said, "almost never by ideas." Indeed, as seen in his portraits — whether of famed movie stars or everyday people — the challenge for Avedon was conveying the essence of his subjects. His iconic images were usually taken on an 8 x 10 inch camera in his studio with a plain white background and strobe lighting, creating his signature minimalist style. Avedon viewed the making and production of photographs as a performance similar to literature and drama, creating portraits that are simultaneously intensely clear, yet deeply mysterious.
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