As he wryly said, “My photographs don’t go below the surface. He had complete confidence in the two-dimensional nature of photography, the rules of which he bent to his stylistic and narrative purposes. He registered poses, attitudes, hairstyles, clothing and accessories as vital, revelatory elements of an image.

He was fascinated by photography’s capacity for suggesting the personality and evoking the life of his subjects. Under Brodovitch’s tutelage, he quickly became the lead photographer for Harper’s Bazaar.įrom the beginning of his career, Avedon made formal portraits for publication in Theatre Arts, Life, Look, and Harper’s Bazaar magazines, among many others. Initially denied the use of a studio by the magazine, he photographed models and fashions on the streets, in nightclubs, at the circus, on the beach and at other uncommon locations, employing the endless resourcefulness and inventiveness that became a hallmark of his art. I must have taken pictures of one hundred thousand faces before it occurred to me I was becoming a photographer.'Īfter two years of service, he left the Merchant Marine to work as a professional photographer, initially creating fashion images and studying with art director Alexey Brodovitch at the Design Laboratory of the New School for Social Research.Īt the age of twenty-two, Avedon began working as a freelance photographer, primarily for Harper’s Bazaar. As he described it, “My job was to do identity photographs. He was named Poet Laureate of New York City High Schools in 1941.Īvedon joined the armed forces in 1942 during World War II, serving as Photographer’s Mate Second Class in the U.S. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, where he co-edited the school’s literary magazine, The Magpie, with James Baldwin. His interest in photography began at an early age, and he joined the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) camera club when he was twelve years old.

Richard Avedon (1923–2004) was born and lived in New York City.

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