Tag Archives: Richard Avedon

Striking Portraits To Be Unveiled at ‘Richard Avedon: Family Affairs’

Image: The Richard Avedon Foundation, courtesy of the Collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

This April, The National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) unveils the highly anticipated “Richard Avedon: Family Affairs” exhibit, a display of works by the legendary fashion and portrait photographer.

“Family Affairs” presents a compelling historical portrait of American culture during the 1960s and 1970s, a time of extraordinary political social change in US history. During this period, Avedon created a visual essay on the nature of American politics when it was most conspicuous. Born in 1923, Avedon was brought up in a Jewish household; his father was a Russian-born immigrant and his mother was from New York. Famous at an early age, he was well known for challenging conventions and exploring the boundaries between high art and social commentary. The artist shaped America’s image of beauty, celebrity, and politics for over a half century until his passing in 2004.

Image: The Richard Avedon Foundation, courtesy of the Collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

The new exhibition this spring, in collaboration with the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, features two monumental projects by the photographer. The first is a set of four group portraits, including a massive mural of the iconic beat poet, Allen Ginsberg, and his family, as well as three additional portraits shown at a smaller scale: Andy Warhol with members of the Factory, The Chicago Seven, and The Mission Council. The second project is a series of 69 portraits entitled “The Family,” which Avedon created after being commissioned by Rolling Stone to cover the 1976 presidential election. Foregoing traditional photojournalism, Avedon created arresting black and white portraits of each of his subjects. Though his “family members” have no biological ties, they are alike in that they all hold powerful positions of influence, and were at the very epicenter of the events and movements of the time. His subjects including a wide variety of government officials such as George H.W. Bush and Edward Kennedy, media moguls and journalists like Katharine Graham, labor leaders/activists including Cesar Chavez and Ralph Nader, philanthropists like Walter Annenberg, and many more.

Image: The Richard Avedon Foundation, courtesy of the Collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

To allow visitors to see “The Family” as it was originally published, NMAJH will provide original copies of the Rolling Stone issue for visitors to flip through, as well as an electronic version via touchscreen. In addition, the Museum will install a photo booth in the middle of the exhibition where visitors can create their own portraits and share them via social media, encouraging them to ponder the meaning of portrait photography in this age of the selfie while also creating a visual representation of NMAJH’s own family of visitors.

“Family Affairs” focuses on the political power in the days leading up to the 1976 election, and as the United States now prepares for the 2016 presidential election, the powerful portraits by Richard Avedon displayed in the NMAJH exhibition will certainly evoke comparisons and important discussions between the nature of political leadership then and now.

The Ten Most Iconic Photos from Calvin Klein’s Career

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Calvin Klein rose from a young, immigrant’s son in the Bronx of New York to a household name and a legacy in American fashion. In honor of the designer’s birthday today (Happy 71, Mr. Klein!) we pay homage to his long lasting and slightly-controversial career with our ten most favorite and iconic photos from the man who changed runway and retail, for better or worse:

1. Vogue-Featured B&W Bachelor

For its 1975 November issue, American Vogue highlighted the designer's then newly-finished apartment on New York's Upper East Side. His first marriage had ended a year earlier, and in response, Klein enlisted famous contemporary designer Joseph D’Urso to create a black and white industrious bachelor bad for his new, stylishly-single life.

Image courtesy of Cristopher Worthland.
2. Master of Denim

Although he technically founded cK Calvin Klein Jeans (arguably the first collection of American designer denim) in 1976, it wasn't until 1977—when Klein modified the fit to accentuate both the crotch and buttocks—that his jeans became a must-have fashion item. Here is the designer photographed above with supermodel Janice Dickinson in Vogue Paris of the same year.

Image courtesy of Devorah MacDonald.
3. Supermodel Support

At just 14-years-old Brooke Shields appeared in 1980 in a now-iconic photo campaign and television ad shot by photographer Richard Avedon. In the latter Shields so cooly says, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."

Image courtesy of Calvin Klein.
4. After The Jean, The Underwear

In 1982 US Olympic pole-vaulter Tom Hintanus starred in the campaign for Klein's first underwear collection for men shot by Bruce Weber. The success of both the brand and the image is still widely acknowledged to this day, with the latter having been named one of American Photographer Magazine's “10 Pictures That Changed America.”

Image courtesy of Calvin Klein.
5. Mark and Moss

At the height of the 90's AIDS epidemic, reign of the supermodel, and rule of the jean, Kate Moss starred with Mark Wahlberg—then, still just Marky Mark—in a controversial Calvin Klein campaign titled, “The best protection against AIDS is to keep your Calvins on" shot by Herb Ritts.

Image courtesy of Fashion Journal.
6. One For All

After finding success with his first two scents, Obsession in 1985 and Eternity in 1988, in 1994 Klein releasef cK One, a citrus aromatic fragrance for both women and men.

Image courtesy of Calvin Klein.
7. Body, Body, Body

In 2001, Australian model and actor Travis Fimmel became the first male in the world to secure a six-figure deal to model exclusively for Calvin Klein for a year. During this time, famed photographed Steven Klein shot Fimmel for a campaign for Calvin Klein body.
8. Buy For Now

Phillips-Van Heusen, the world's largest shirt company and owner of American brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Izod, purchased Calvin Klein from its founder in 2003, ending Klein's footprint on the American fashion house for at least the time being.

Image courtesy of WWD.
9. Still Keeping Face

Although nominally out of the game, Klein still remained active in both fashion and social circles. Above he is pictured in 2008 with John Demsey, Donna Karan, Anna Wintour and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at a gala for New York-based charity God's Love We delivery.

Image courtesy of WWD.
10. Work Or Play?

In 2010, Klein became romantically linked to model and adult film star Nick Gruber, although the exact details of their relationship has been highly contested in the media by Gruber earlier this year.

Image courtesy of Perez Hilton.