This posting will not be a part of the finished book.
These are some of the chapters that I’m currently working on and doing research for. A few may be posted on this website as they near completion, but most will be reserved for the finished book only.
- OBSERVATIONS… The making of Avedon’s classic 1959 book, with text by Truman Capote and stories behind the images.
- THE KENNEDY PORTRAITS… The full story behind Dick’s January 1961 session with President-Elect John F. Kennedy and his family in Palm Beach, Florida. These were done just before the inauguration for Harper’s Bazaar and Look magazines, and later published as a book by the Smithsonian Institution.
- THAT GROUNDBREAKING APRIL 1965 ISSUE… The time that Avedon created and edited an entire issue of Harper’s Bazaar, filled with Pop Art, the Youthquake, Mods and Rockers, the Beatles, Space Travel, Integration, and even the Frug. Everything the 1960s were about.
- THEY ALSO SERVED… A look at the many people who helped Avedon achieve his success, from assistants to editors to hairstylists to accountants. And more.
- THE FABULOUS FIFTIES… In late 1959 Avedon was hired by CBS to help create a massive all-star television review of the 1950s. Here’s the story.
- AN ELEGANT MAN — AND EVERYONE’S BEST FRIEND… A look at Avedon’s unique personality and how it endeared so many to him.
- THOSE STUDIO LUNCHES AND OTHER JOYFUL TRADITIONS… How studio staff, models, clients, and guests would frequently gather around one large table to feast on pastrami sandwiches washed down with champagne.
- BUT IS IT ART?… A brief look at the nexus between high art and photography, and how Avedon’s attitude about this evolved over the years.
- PAINTING WITH LIGHT... How Avedon used a handheld light to bring out the best in his beauty photographs.
- ADVERTISING MADE IT ALL POSSIBLE... How commercial advertising photography financed the creative fashion, portraiture, and reportage photography for which Avedon is famous.
- RETURN TO AVEDON... It's late 1959 and I've just been discharged from the Army. At home in Pennsylvania and not sure what to do next, I received a phone call to attend the taping of a big show at CBS-TV in NYC. There I meet Dick and...
- KEYS TO THE STUDIO... Avedon's relationship with his staff varied greatly; some he trusted totally and was like a kindly father to, others he regarded as just hired help.
- WHAT IT ALL MEANS TO ME TODAY... Although it's been some 45 years since I left Avedon, his influence remains with me now more than ever.
- WORK PATTERNS...As I go through years of carefully-kept studio records from the 1950s and '60s at the Foundation I become aware of certain patterns in Avedon's business life such as hectic schedules, favorite models, film usage, and clients who kept coming back time after time after time. Did he ever rest? Read about it here.
- LISTS! LISTS! LISTS!...Going through some 10 years of daily studio records at the Avedon Foundation has prompted me to create several alphabetical lists to insert at the end of the Appendix section of the book. These will cover such subjects as the Celebrities he photographed, the Media he worked for, Where he worked on location, the Advertising Agencies, and the Products he did ads for during my time with him, September 1952 to December 1956 and November 1959 through October 1965. Where relevant, dates will be included along with page numbers for further information. I hope this will again demonstrate just how versatile a photographer he was. Another list, in chronological rather than alphabetical order, They Also Served, will contain names of Avedon's employees and associates during that period, and a final list will cover Studios other than his own in which he worked.
Stay tuned, more coming.
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