Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon’s photographs didn’t just reflect culture, they shaped it, and continue to do so. The feature documentary AVEDON traces the life and legacy of an artist who used fashion, portraiture, and commercial photography to explore identity, power, fear and beauty. With unprecedented access to Avedon’s archive, including never before seen photos, behind the scenes recordings, and interviews with those who knew him best, AVEDON is a visually stunning examination of the mind of an artist who shaped our collective image of the 20th century.

A model tells a television crew about her dreams of a life with prince charming all while fending off the lecherous advances of a horde of men.

This intimate and loving portrait of the legendary arbiter of fashion, art and culture illustrates the many stages of Vreeland's remarkable life. Born in Paris in 1903, she was to become New York's "Empress of Fashion" and a celebrated Vogue editor.

Richard Avedon was one of the great geniuses of 20th century photography, famous for his fashion photography done for the likes of Vogue, Versace, and Armani, and equally famous for his black and white portraits of American people, both famous and unknown.

Avedon's commercial advertisement for the Japanese womenswear brand Jun Ropé features an innovative and unexpected approach to the genre that reflects the famed photographer's exceptional signature style. Opening onto a behind-the-scenes look at a photo shoot, the camera follows the supermodel Veruschka as she transforms from a suit-clad, mustached character in drag to an unabashedly glamorous fashion icon dressed in a designer gown and posing for Avedon himself. While initially produced for a commercial client with the leading industry talents of the day, the video underscores the artist’s savvy understanding of the performative—and ultimately flexible—nature of social constructions of gender, femininity, and the self.