Richard Avedon revolutionised fashion photography with a crisp, high-key style that captured elegance in motion and later stripped portraits to their essence against stark white backdrops. His work for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and The New Yorker forged a visual language that was at once glamorous and unsparing.
Beyond fashion, Avedon’s landmark project In the American West revealed the gravity and dignity of everyday sitters, expanding the scope of editorial portraiture into psychologically charged, museum-scale art. His images remain touchstones for their clarity, poise and relentless attention to character.