Fashion—and the role of women in the industry—changed dramatically in the second half of the 20th century. Almost nowhere was that transition as apparent as in the work of Richard Avedon, the legendary photographer who shot countless editorials for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and many other titles. Now, in anticipation of an all-encompassing exhibition in November at Gagosian Beverly Hills, Gagosian London will run a selection of works titled Avedon: Women.
The exhibition will feature some of Avedon’s famous photographs of models in motion—featuring household names like Ingrid Boulting, Gisele Bündchen, and Twiggy.
As The New York Times noted upon his death in 2004, “Avedon revolutionized the 20th-century art of fashion photography, imbuing it with touches of both gritty realism and outrageous fantasy and instilling it with a relentlessly experimental drive.” He is the only photographer to have had two major exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Looking at a few of the preview images from the exhibition, it isn’t hard to see why his work gave consumers of fashion an added frisson of excitement.
