Richard Avedon - Contemporary Art Day Sale New York Friday, May 17, 2013 | Phillips

Contemporary Art Day Sale

New York 17 May 2013 10am

  • Provenance

    Private Collection
    Swann Galleries, New York, Photographs & Photographic Literature, October 22, 2009, lot 284
    Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

  • Literature

    R. Avedon and D. Arbus, The Sixties, Random House, 1999, p. 169 (illustrated)

  • Artist Biography

    Richard Avedon

    American • 1923 - 2004

    From 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.

    View More Works

199

Richard Avedon

Rudolf Nureyev, Paris, France, July 25, 1961

1961
gelatin silver print, printed in 1999
image 13 3/4 x 13 3/4 in. (34.9 x 34.9 cm.); sheet 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm.)
Signed, numbered and dated "Avedon 5/30 1999" on the reverse; title and copyright credit reproduction limitation stamps on the reverse. This work is number 5 from an edition of 30.

Estimate
$40,000 - 60,000 

Sold for $50,000

Contact Specialist
Amanda Stoffel
Head of Sale
astoffel@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1261

Contemporary Art Day Sale

New York 17 May 2013 10am