Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American photographer. He was the American photographer. There is very little I can write here that can adequately explain how talented or influential Richard Avedon was. He was a photographer, yes, but what he did behind the camera was so much greater than that.
Richard saw in photography it’s ability to capture the soul and personality of its subjects. He was a master at being able to capture something tangible and real about his subjects, even if it was something the subjects weren’t necessarily willing to reveal. It was with these talents that he managed to give America an image, an identity; a reflection of society at its highest and lowest.
He was a true master of his craft.
I am a big fan of both his fashion & portrait work.
Here are some of my favorites...
Marilyn Monroe as silent screen star Theda Bara. From Life Magazine's fabled, "Enchantress Series," 1958
Audrey Hepburn 1967
Nadja Auermann 1995
Dovima in Dior & the elephants taken at the "Cirque d'hiver de Paris" in august 1955
The photograph of Dovima in the black dress with elephants was reprinted many times but the image of Dovima in white was printed only once and the negative no longer exists. “It disappeared mysteriously,” Avedon said
Nadja Auermann Versace 1994
Stephanie Seymour Dress and shoes by Chanel, Paris 1994
Andy Warhol had a thought (in actual fact, he had more than just one) and he wasn’t afraid to convey it. Before Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons came along, there was none other than the great and late Andy Warhol. His silkscreen images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell Soup Cans are one of the most pervasive art images around. As a fan of Warhol myself, I have been seeing alot of tributes by different products lately, I will posting them later on...
One of Warhol’s favorite stories about Dom Pérignon was when he and his friends founded the “2,000″ club– a group of 20 people coming together to purchase 2,000 bottles of Dom Pérignon and will be drinking them together to celebrate the millennium. For them, the running joke was who would be around to drink it, but sadly, Warhol wasn’t there to celebrate the millennium by popping a copious amount of champagne.
As a tribute to one of the most influential artists and cultural figure, Dom Pérignon has teamed up with the Andy Warhol Foundation and enlisted the help of the Design Laboratory at Central St. Martin’s School of Art and Design to reinterpret the timeless Dom Pérignon bottle. The collection of bottles will be vintage 2002 Dom Pérignon champagne, and will come in three colors– red, blue and yellow. The collection is limited in run, and will be available for the public starting October 15 at fine purveyors across the nation.
