Richard Avedon Marella Agnelli, New York Studio, December 1953 Gelatin silver print, printed 1981. 59.7 x 47.3 cm (23 1/2 x 18 5/8 in) Signed, numbered 8/50 in ink, copyright credit reproduction limitation and edition stamps on the reverse of the linen flush-mount. One from an edition of 50.
Literature Harper's Bazaar, Beauties of Our Time, April 1954 (variant) T. Capote, Richard Avedon Observations, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1959, p. 27 Avedon Photographs 1947–1977, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1978, cover and p. 161 M. Shanahan, ed., Richard Avedon Evidence 1944–1994, New York: Random House, 1994, p. 14 and p. 160 A. Hollander, Richard Avedon Woman in the Mirror, New York: Abrams, 2005, p. 79 Catalogue Essay “All my first models, Dorian Leigh, Elise Daniels, Carmen, Marella Agnelli, Audrey Hepburn, were brunettes and had fine noses, long throats, oval faces. They were all memories of my sister. My sense of what was beautiful was established very early through the way in which I experienced her.” RICHARD AVEDON Richard Avedon’s ethereal portrait of the aristocratic wife of late Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli first appeared in the April 1954 issue of Harper’s Bazaar in a story entitled ‘Beauties of Our Time’. The young Avedon worked with Bazaar’s infuential art director Alexey Brodovitch who allowed his image to be fopped for publication with the portrait reproduced full-bleed on the lef-hand page and the text at right, mirroring the sinuous curves of Agnelli’s head and body which Avedon had elongated manually in the dark room. Agnelli was one of writer Truman Capote’s famous ‘swans’ – well-married, international, best-dressed ladies who also included Mrs. William S. (‘Babe’) Paley and Mrs. Winston (‘CZ’) Guest. Read More Artist Bio Richard Avedon American • 1923 - 2004 From the inception of Richard Avedon's career, first at Harper's Bazaar and later at Vogue, Avedon challenged the norms for 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 has said, "almost never by ideas." Indeed, as seen in his portraits — whether of famed movie stars or everyday people — the challenge for Avedon was conveying the essence of his subjects. His iconic images were usually taken on an 8 x 10 inch camera in his studio with a plain white background and strobe lighting, creating his signature minimalist style. Avedon viewed the making and production of photographs as a performance similar to literature and drama, creating portraits that are simultaneously intensely clear, yet deeply mysterious. View More Works
Richard Avedon Marella Agnelli, New York Studio, December 1953 Gelatin silver print, printed 1981. 59.7 x 47.3 cm (23 1/2 x 18 5/8 in) Signed, numbered 8/50 in ink, copyright credit reproduction limitation and edition stamps on the reverse of the linen flush-mount. One from an edition of 50.
Literature Harper's Bazaar, Beauties of Our Time, April 1954 (variant) T. Capote, Richard Avedon Observations, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1959, p. 27 Avedon Photographs 1947–1977, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1978, cover and p. 161 M. Shanahan, ed., Richard Avedon Evidence 1944–1994, New York: Random House, 1994, p. 14 and p. 160 A. Hollander, Richard Avedon Woman in the Mirror, New York: Abrams, 2005, p. 79 Catalogue Essay “All my first models, Dorian Leigh, Elise Daniels, Carmen, Marella Agnelli, Audrey Hepburn, were brunettes and had fine noses, long throats, oval faces. They were all memories of my sister. My sense of what was beautiful was established very early through the way in which I experienced her.” RICHARD AVEDON Richard Avedon’s ethereal portrait of the aristocratic wife of late Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli first appeared in the April 1954 issue of Harper’s Bazaar in a story entitled ‘Beauties of Our Time’. The young Avedon worked with Bazaar’s infuential art director Alexey Brodovitch who allowed his image to be fopped for publication with the portrait reproduced full-bleed on the lef-hand page and the text at right, mirroring the sinuous curves of Agnelli’s head and body which Avedon had elongated manually in the dark room. Agnelli was one of writer Truman Capote’s famous ‘swans’ – well-married, international, best-dressed ladies who also included Mrs. William S. (‘Babe’) Paley and Mrs. Winston (‘CZ’) Guest. Read More Artist Bio Richard Avedon American • 1923 - 2004 From the inception of Richard Avedon's career, first at Harper's Bazaar and later at Vogue, Avedon challenged the norms for 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 has said, "almost never by ideas." Indeed, as seen in his portraits — whether of famed movie stars or everyday people — the challenge for Avedon was conveying the essence of his subjects. His iconic images were usually taken on an 8 x 10 inch camera in his studio with a plain white background and strobe lighting, creating his signature minimalist style. Avedon viewed the making and production of photographs as a performance similar to literature and drama, creating portraits that are simultaneously intensely clear, yet deeply mysterious. View More Works
Try LotSearch and its premium features for 7 days - without any costs!
Be notified automatically about new items in upcoming auctions.
Create an alert
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
