Irving Penn: Centennial

Single Oriental Poppy, New York, 1968 Dye transfer print, 1987 16 7⁄8 × 21 1⁄8 in. (42.9 × 53.7 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation.

On April 24, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will debut its exhibition Irving Penn: Centennial, a retrospective spanning the entirety of the photographer's 70-year career. Irving Penn (1917–2009) captured the beauty of detail and mastered a distinguished compositional aesthetic that changed the realm of printmaking and fashion photography. This collection will be the most inclusive exhibition of Penn's body of work, showcasing both masterpieces and relatively unknown prints from all his major series. Penn's early photographs of couture fashion are gems that established an innovative standard of mid-century compositon and style; throughout his career, he continued to capture the cycles of fashion, cultivating a new perpsective on photography that influenced later stars like Herb Ritts and Horst P. Horst.

The exhibition will most thoroughly explore the following themes: street signs, including examples of early work in New York, the American South, and Mexico; fashion and style, with many classic photographs of Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn, the former dancer who became the first supermodel as well as the artist's wife; portraits of indigenous people in Cuzco, Peru; the Small Trades portraits of urban laborers; portraits of beloved cultural figures from Truman Capote, Joe Louis, Picasso, and more.

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The Irving Penn Foundation

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Two Miyake Warriors, New York, 1998 Platinum-palladium print, 1999 21 × 19 5⁄8 in. (53.5 × 49.8 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Ungaro Bride Body Sculpture (Marisa Berenson), Paris, 1969 Gelatin silver print, 1985 12 × 9 3⁄8 in. (30.5 × 23.8 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Naomi Sims in Scarf, New York, ca. 1969 Gelatin silver print, 1985 10 1⁄2 × 10 3⁄8 in. (26.7 × 26.4 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Deli Package, New York, 1975 Platinum-palladium print, 1976 15 7⁄8 × 20 3⁄4 in. (40.3 × 52.7 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Nude No. 72, New York, 1949–50 Gelatin silver print 15 5⁄8 × 14 3⁄4 in. (39.7 × 37.5 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of the artist, 2002

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Glove and Shoe, New York, 1947 Gelatin silver print 9 5⁄8 × 7 3⁄4 in. (24.4 × 19.7 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Pablo Picasso at La Californie, Cannes, 1957 Platinum-palladium print, 1985 18 5⁄8 × 18 5⁄8 in. (47.3 × 47.3 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Truman Capote, New York, 1948 Platinum-palladium print, 1968 15 7/8 × 15 3/8 in. (40.3 × 39.1 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1986

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Fishmonger, London, 1950 Platinum-palladium print, 1976 19 3⁄4 × 14 7⁄8 in. (50.2 × 37.8 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Lauder Foundation and The Irving Penn Foundation Gifts, 2014

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Rochas Mermaid Dress (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn), Paris, 1950 Platinum-palladium print, 1980 19 7⁄8 × 19 3⁄4 in. (50.5 × 50.2 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Cuzco Children, 1948 Platinum-palladium print, 1968 19 1⁄2 × 19 7⁄8 in. (49.5 × 50.5 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Three Asaro Mud Men, New Guinea, 1970 Platinum-palladium print, 1976 20 1⁄8 × 19 1⁄2 in. (51.1 × 49.5 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Cigarette No. 37, New York, 1972 Platinum-palladium print, 1975 23 1⁄2 × 17 3⁄8 in. (59.7 × 44.1 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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After-Dinner Games, New York, 1947 Dye transfer print, 1985 22 1⁄4 × 18 1⁄8 in. (56.5 × 46 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

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Mouth (for L’Oréal), New York, 1986 Dye transfer print 18 3⁄4 × 18 3⁄8 in. (47.6 × 46.7 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation

Irving Penn: Centennial

A collection of photographs showcasing Irving Penn's 70-year career in capturing fashion on film.

Kelly Caminero