“I am, and forever will be, devastated by the gift of Audrey Hepburn before my camera.”
—Richard Avedon
From the inception of his outstanding career, first at Harper’s Bazaar and later at Vogue, Richard Avedon challenged the norms of 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 explained, ‘almost never by ideas.’ Avedon’s interest in people is on full display in his playful photograph of the incomparably elegant Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn, in the good company of supermodels Simone D’Aillencourt and Barbara Mullen, receives the attentions of American humourist Art Buchwald. Actor Reginald Kernan and Avedon’s assistant Frederick Eberstadt round out the trio of gentlemen, and the picture draws its energy from the interplay of the characters with one another and is compositionally anchored by Hepburn’s slyly side-eyed glance. In this refined composition, Avedon perfectly encapsulates the persona of one of the most beloved figures in the history of film and fashion.
