Hamiltons presents Avedon: Glamourous in celebration of the centenary of Richard Avedon’s birth. In recognition of the gallery’s long-standing association with the artist and to mark this momentous occasion, the exhibition will present iconic and rarely seen photographs that focus on glamour – a central pillar to his oeuvre. Through his unique ability to invoke an exciting quality within his subjects, Avedon could make even the most mundane appealing, bringing a sophisticated glamour to both some of the 20th century’s most notable figures and luminaries.
Richard Avedon, widely acknowledged as one of the pioneers of modern photography but also one of its most influential proponents, was born in New York City in 1923. His first foray into the world of professional photography came about in 1945, under the tutelage of Alexey Brodovitch, then at Harper’s Bazaar. Harper’s Bazaar, alongside Vogue during the middle of the twentieth century, operated as testing grounds for more conscious and imaginative styles of photography. It is these creative milieus that allowed Avedon to explore and develop his own practice as a fine art photographer; this focus of his was recognised with early solo shows at The Smithsonian (1962) and the Minneapolis Institute of Fine Art (1970). He would become the first living photographer to be honoured with a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1978, followed by a retrospective in 2002. Upon the occasion of that retrospective, Philippe de Montebello, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1977-2008, remarked that Avedon “has distinguished himself as an artist of immense energy and originality and created many of the iconic images of our time”.
Avedon’s imagery, renowned for its transformative and distinctive visual language, often challenged and question the boundaries of conventional beauty. Throughout his life, Avedon, in his portraiture, maintained a unique style that combined the rigour of the studio with the spontaneity of projects on location. He captured with wit and inventiveness the likeness of sitters, both well-known and anonymous, from celebrities, and models through to his friends and family. He used his distinctive ability to understand human psychology to frame the charisma of his subject.
| Duration | 17 May 2023 - 11 August 2023 |
| Times | Monday - Friday | 10am - 6pm Saturday I 11am - 4pm |
| Cost | Free |
| Venue | Hamiltons Gallery |
| Address | 13 Carlos Place, London W1K 2EU, , |
| Contact | / art@hamiltonsgallery.com / www.hamiltonsgallery.com |