NEW YORK—An extraordinary group of works by photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004), one of the most important artists of the 20th century, will be offered by Christie’s Paris at an evening sale on Nov. 20. The sale collection, Avedon: Photographs from The Richard Avedon Foundation, will be on exhibit in New York at Christie’s from Oct. 1-7.
The sale consists of more than 60 Avedon photographs, the largest ensemble of his works to ever hit the market, plus several unique and extremely rare items. Avedon’s work covered the most prominent figures of his time, icons of political and social significance, as well as groundbreaking fashion.
Avedon is one of the most recognized and influential figures of photography, the defining medium of the 20th century. The scope and inventiveness of his portraiture and fashion imagery have long been recognized by leading curators, art historians, and most recently through a series of monographic exhibitions and books.
Avedon wrote: “A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact, but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.”
The sale consists of more than 60 Avedon photographs, the largest ensemble of his works to ever hit the market, plus several unique and extremely rare items. Avedon’s work covered the most prominent figures of his time, icons of political and social significance, as well as groundbreaking fashion.
Avedon is one of the most recognized and influential figures of photography, the defining medium of the 20th century. The scope and inventiveness of his portraiture and fashion imagery have long been recognized by leading curators, art historians, and most recently through a series of monographic exhibitions and books.
Avedon wrote: “A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact, but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.”
