IRVING PENN
Irving Penn was one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. He captured famous cultural figures—including artists such as Jasper Johns, Pablo Picasso, Louise Bourgeois, and Salvador Dalí—and elevated fashion photography to an art form through his work with Vogue, where he contributed for more than six decades. Penn was known for his pared-down compositional style, and he often photographed his subjects in the studio’s natural light; his images are marked by simplicity, sophistication, and tonal subtleties. Penn shot in both gray scale and color and experimented with 19th-century print processes as well. His work has been exhibited around the world and belongs in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Moderna Museet, among many others. Penn also photographed tradesmen, nudes, and still lifes. Between 1948 and 1971, he took ethnographic photographs of communities he encountered during his travels.
MOUTH (FOR L’OREAL) B, NEW YORK, 1986
30X40 CM DYE TRANSFER PRINT EDITION OF 19 PRINTED 1999 SIGNED AND STAMPED WITH PHOROGRAPHERS COPYRIGHT STAMP VERSO
Throughout his artistic career, Irving Penn created revolutionary photographs that blurred the boundary between advertising and art. By the early 1950s, he had already made a successful career as a photographer and editor at Vogue and had begun working on freelance advertising projects. He created innovative photographs, distinctive in their striking simplicity and unexpected details. In this advertising image for L'Oréal makeup, the model’s lips are compared with an artist’s palette as a seductive shift away from the conventional ideas of beauty.
WOMAN WITH ROSES, PARIS (LISA FONSSAGRIVES-PENN)
GELATIN SILVER PRINT EDITION 25 PRINTED 1984 SIGNED VERSO BY THE AUTHOR
In this photo Lisa Fonssagrives, standing in a graceful pose, displays for us the beauty of her dress and the bouquet of roses attached to her glove. She was the first to be termed a ‘supermodel’ in the history of photography. By the time this picture was taken, the model and the photographer were already married, and the viewer can see a slight playfulness in Lisa’s eyes as she looks at Penn. The photographer believed that the combination of bare skin, the thin fabric of the dress, and the austere monochrome background brings in exciting eroticism even though there are no ‘intriguing details’ in the photo. © Condé Nast
VOGUE COVER 1948, NEW YORK
24X19CM GELATIN SILVER PRINT EDITION 9 PRINTED 1990 SIGNED VERSO BY THE AUTHOR IN PENCIL, STAMP VERSO
Irving Penn depicted Mildred Gene Kornman, an actress and model known under the stage name Ricki VanDusen, for the cover of American Vogue. This image of the fashion model boldly conveys her personality and mood, and the feathers on her hat indicate her determination and firmness of character. The photographer wanted the skirt of the dress and the mantle thrown onto the pedestal under the mirror to look like a single cascade, showing the continuity of objects. © Condé Nast
Four Guedras, Morocco, 1971
Image size 58 × 50 cm
Frame size?
Platinum print, flush-mounted on aluminum
Edition 14/18
Printed 1985
Signed, titled, dated, numbered '14/18' and '3344' in ink verso with author and Condé Nast copyright credit stamps
DUCHESS OF WINDSOR NEW YORK, 14 JULY 1948
PLATINUM PALLADIUM PRINT MOUNTED ON ALUMINIUM 50X30 CM EDITION 2/9 PRINTED 1984 SIGNED VERSO BY THE AUTHOR IN PENCIL STAMP VERSO © THE IRVING PENN FOUNDATION
Two Hairy Young Women, New York, 1995
Two Hairy Young Women, New York, 1995
Image size 46 cm × 60 cm
Frame size 72,5 x 86 cm Cibachrome print
Edition of 25
Vintage
Signed, titled, dated verso by the author The Conde Nast Publications' copyright stamp
VOGUE COVER (NINA DEVOE), NEWYORK, 1951
GELATIN SILVER PRINT EDITION 25 PRINTED 1984 SIGNED VERSO BY THE AUTHOR
Со свойственной ему деликатностью и осторожностью Ирвин Пенн запечатлел юную модель Нину Деву. По канонам моды того времени её волосы и очки убраны назад, открывая лицо модели и показывая её красоту и нежность. Ирвин Пенн считал Нину Деву одной из самых привлекательных и лёгких моделей того времени, и именно поэтому съёмочный процесс обложки американского Vogue был простым и непринужденным. © Condé Nast
BLACK AND WHITE FASHION WITH HANDBAG, JEAN PATCHETT, NEW YORK (VOGUE USA, APRIL 1950)
40X45 CM SELENIUM TONED SILVER GELATIN PRINT EDITION 14 PRINTED 1984 SIGNED VERSO BY THE AUTHOR
This photograph depicts Jean Patchett, an American who was one of the most successful fashion models of the time. The photo has become a true legend, and collectors consider it a great honor to add it to their collections. The black-and-white photograph of a model wearing a hat with veil and carrying a black lacquer handbag is one of several similar images orchestrated by Penn. This famous photo was different from all the others that existed at that time, as its minimalism and austere aesthetics allowed Irving Penn to express his individuality. It appeared on the cover of British Vogue in 1950.© The Irving Penn Foundation