Avedon, Richard

(1923- )

   Born in New York City, Avedon was a first-generation American whose parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants. He studied philosophy at Columbia University. Avedon met art director Alexey Brodovitch in 1944 and began working for him at Harper's Bazaar. A photographer for more than 60 years, Avedon has photographed more fashion models than any of his contemporaries alive today. The majority of his work is in black and white, whether fashion or people of distinction. Each subject is beautifully photographed in the Avedon style: never with the anticipated mood but one that assists the viewer in recognizing another dimension of the subject. He is credited with creating the look of Harper S Bazaar magazine and being "the" fashion photographer of the 1950s. His most famous photograph was Dovima with Elephants. This 1955 photograph was of one of Yves Saint Laurent's first designs for Dior, and is said to retain its freshness, even today. Avedon, unlike his peers, took his models into action, photographing them in fluidity and in real-life backdrops rather than in a studio. In the 1990s, Avedon worked at the New Yorker where he maintained his special status of total independence in his work.

   See also Fashion photography.