LAUNCHED together with a recent retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to mark the centennial of the birth of one of the greatest American photographers, this elegant tome book captures for the first time many of the 150 photographs gifted donated by the Irving Penn Foundation to the museum, with iconic images from fashion (many with his wife, the original supermodel Lisa Fonssagrives), far–flung travels (the Quechua from Peru, the Dahomey and New Guinea series) and cultural figures (from Colette to Capote) all in his signature pared-down style.
Image by Irving Penn
Such depth, subtlety and grace – increasingly rare in modern photography – speaks to the viewer not in shouting exclamations, but in pure poetry – like his breathtaking series for Issey Miyake from 1986 to ’99. A key book for fans of photography.
by Ethan Long
Irving Penn: Centennial is available here