The largest collection of original Richard Avedon photographs have been catalogued for auction at Christie's in Paris next week (November 20th).
The unprecedented offering (sixty scintillating stills in total) boasts seminal portraits of sixties icons such as Twiggy and Veruschka (featured in a Bill Blass dress circa 1967).
In addition, collectors will - no doubt - jump at the rare opportunity to bid on a handful of unforgettable fashion images Avedon rustled up with his searing insightful lens which include:
*Dovina and Elephants
Evening Dress by Dior
*Cirque d'Hiver
Paris
Richard Avedon was born in New York City to a Jewish-Russian family.
Curiously, the imaginative photographer started taking snapshots for the Merchant Marines (for identification purposes) with a Rolleiflex camera which was gifted to him by his father as a going-away present.
In 1944, the talented visionary artist began working as an advertising photographer for a department store, shortly before being discovered by Alexey Brodovitch, the art director for the fashion magazine at the oh-so-chic Harper's Bazaar.
Lillian Bassman also saw promise in Avedon and later promoted his highly-stylistic photographic images as well.
Avedon launched his own studio in 1946 - at which point - he began to accept assignments for fashionable upscale magazines such as Vogue and Life.
Within a scant few years, the remarkable Avedon became the chief photographer for Harper's.
Part of Avedon's success arose from his tendency to break away from standard photo-shoot techniques utilized by his fellow contemporaries at the time.
Avedon preferred to photograph models expressing a full range of emotions - smiling, laughing, and in action - whenever possible.
This was his signature style!
In 1966, Avedon became a staff photographer for Vogue magazine, and later on headed up the whole shebang!
As a result, Avedon's stunning images ended up gracing dozens of the most memorable covers at Vogue Magazine from 1973 through 1980.
Avedon is infamous for having shot the Calvin Klein Jeans campaign featuring 15-year-old Brooke Shields which caused quite a sensation at the time.
In May of 1992, Ms. Shields told Interview magazine:
"When Dick (Avedon) walks into the room, a lot of people are intimidated. But when he works, he's so acutely creative, so sensitive. And he doesn't like it if anyone else is around or speaking. There is a mutual vulnerability, and a moment of fusion when he clicks the shutter. You either get it or you don't".
I do!
If only I had the moolah to snap up one of his dazzling stills.
Oh well, I can dream, can't I?
Twiggy & Avedon in a candid moment!
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