“I believe that you’ve got to love your work so much that it is all you want to do.” Richard Avedon
Assembled in conjunction with his landmark 1978 retrospective exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Avedon/Paris is a celebration of Richard Avedon’s early career in fashion photography. Hired as a staff photographer for Harper’s Bazaar in 1945, Avedon continued to work for the publication for the next 20 years before joining Vogue in 1966. The eleven photographs included in this portfolio, all taken in Paris between 1947 and 1957, highlight this influential first phase of his career, showcasing the effortless glamour and dynamic playfulness that would become hallmarks of his fashion photographs throughout the 20th century.
Titles include: Elise Daniels with street performers, Suit by Balenciaga, Le Marais, Paris, August, 1948; Renée, The New Look of Dior, Place de la Concorde, Paris, August, 1947; Dorian Leigh, Coat by Dior, Avenue Montaigne, Paris, August, 1949; Carmen (Homage to Munkacsi), Coat by Cardin, Place François-Premier, Paris, August, 1957; Dorian Leigh, Evening dress by Piguet, Helena Rubeinstein apartment, Île St.-Louis, Paris, August, 1949; Dorian Leigh, Schiaparelli rhinestones, Pré-Catelan, Paris, August, 1949; Sunny Harnett, Evening dress by Grès, Casino, Le Touquet, August, 1954; Suzy Parker and Robin Tattersall, Evening dress by Griffe, Folies-Bergère, Paris, August, 1957; Elise Daniels, Turban by Paulette, Pré-Catelan, Paris, August, 1948; Suzy Parker, Evening dress by Lanvin-Castillo, Café des Beaux Arts, Paris, August, 1956; Marlene Dietrich, Turban by Dior, The Ritz, Paris, August, 1955