Richard Avedon - In the American West

When I posted a single photo from Richard Avedon's monumental work In the American West a few weeks ago, I promised to post more, so here they are.  Mr. Avedon took over five years (1979-84) to complete this remarkable body of work for the Amon G. Carter Museum of Art in Fort Worth.  If you take the time to closely look at these photographs, I think you will connect with the men in them.  I am posting them without comment, using only the museum descriptors.  Above, Mr. Avedon at work.

 

Trucker

Billy Mudd, Trucker, Alto, Texas 1981

 

Cowboy

Mike Dewitt, Cowboy, Payson, Arizona 1982

 

Coal Miners

Mike Bencich, Dan Ashberger, Coal Miners, Somerset, Colorado 1980

 

Oil Field Worker

James Lykins, Oil Field Worker, Rawson, North Dakota 1982

 

Blacksmith/Farmer

Jonathan Stahl, Blacksmith and Sam Stahl, Farmer, 

Hutterite Colony, Gilford, Montana 1983

 

Uranium Miner

Joe Dobosz, Uranium Miner, Church Rock, New Mexico 1979

 

Construction

Bill Hanken, Construction Worker, Cody, Wyoming 1982

 

Rancher

Richard Wheatcroft, Rancher, Jordan, Montana 1981

 

Beekeeper

Ronald Fischer, Beekeeper, Davis, California 1981

 

Unknown Migrant

Unidentified Migrant Worker, Eagle Pass, Texas 1979

 

Richard Avedon 1923-2004

Richard Avedon (1923-2004) was one of the foremost photographers of his generation, and it's taken me far too long to give him a series.  He was friends with James Baldwin in his Brooklyn high school, so his association with the avante garde goes way back.  Initially best known as a fashion photographer, he eventually went on to do some cutting edge work, including nudes.  We start the set with an image from a 1970 special gallery show that featured huge mural size photos of Andy Warhol's crew, among other subjects.  The show has been repeated at the Metropolitan Museum.  Not shabby.

 

John Lennon

John Lennon and the rest of the Beatles posed for Richard Avedon in 1967.

Out of all those, I chose this solo shot of John for reasons I can't explain.

I'll just say, "Imagine."

 

Little Joe

Like just about every other prominent photographer of his era, Richard Avedon took his turn with Little Joe Dallesanrro.  "Everbody had to pay and pay," and I'm sure Mr. Avedon was no exception.

 

Ginsberg and Orlovsky

Richard Avedon took this photo of poet Allen Ginsbert and Peter Orlovsky in 1963.

It was quite provocative for the time, and I wonder if he had to wait to exhibit it.

 

Out take

This is said to be an out take from the shoot that produced the mural sized photos of actors 

and the Warhol crew mentioned earlier.  Despite Richard Avedon's not having shown it 

in the original gallery show, it regularly turns up in restrospective exhibitions.

 

Monty Python 1975

When the Monty Python troupe agreed to be photographed by Richard Avedon in 1975, they knew he was in a nude celebrity phase and agreed that they were going to keep their clothes on.  Before they knew it, however, Mr. Avedon, with Terry Jones' persuasive help, had them as you see above.  That's Mr. Jones at right with his legs in the air.  John Cleese, alas, is nowhere to be seen.

 

Sting

While we might hope for a more R-rated image,

Sting is still pretty impressive in this undated Avedon photo.

 

Peter Stormare

Actor Peter Stormare posed rather dramatically for Richard Avedon in 1988.

 

Duffy's Hotel Bar

This photo isn't by Richard Avedon, but is sort of about him.  It was taken in 1946 by Paul Himmel at Duffy's Hotel Bar near Cherry Grove on Fire Island.  Mr. Himmel and his wife Lillian Bassman shared a summer cottage there with Mr. Avedon and his wife Doe, and there is some evidence that the two men had an affair.  Ms. Bassman took the photo of the Avedons with Paul below.