Ron Howard's Avedon captures a master of the human face

A fashion photographer who saw deeper

Richard Avedon began his career in the early nineteen forties and died in two thousand four following a cerebral hemorrhage.

The spiritual side of fashion

Avedon's nineteen fifty-five photograph Dovima With Elephants shows a supermodel in a two-tone Dior gown standing between two elephants with outstretched arms.

Discovering himself in others

Ron Howard's documentary Avedon shows how the photographer captured public figures like Malcolm X, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and Henry Kissinger.

“He exalts the individual. His work is very much about trying to discover himself in other people's faces, in other people's lives.”

Photography as social protest

In nineteen sixty-three, Avedon photographed members of the Daughters of the American Revolution at a convention.In nineteen thirty-nine, the DAR had barred African American opera singer Marian Anderson from singing at Constitution Hall.

The white background reveals truth

For his project In the American West, completed in nineteen eighty-four, Avedon explained his preference for a plain white background.

“One cowboy against a white background represents all cowboys. Whereas if he's leaning against a fence post, he's just a cowboy.”

A lifetime of capturing life before it vanishes

Avedon grew up in Manhattan with a younger sister Louise, whom he adored and photographed constantly.Louise struggled with mental illness and schizophrenia.