Irving Penn’s Magic

Fashion, art, and beauty created and captured

Above: Nude No. 72, New York, (1949–50). Gelatin silver print 15 ⅝ × 14 ¾ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

BY: Sacia Friedman and Zac Wojnar

The world of fashion photography would be a very different place were it not for the work of Irving Penn, one of the most influential titans of his craft. Throughout his 70-year career, Penn made striking use of the artifice of studio settings and his own gifted eye to bring out the truth in his subjects. Some of his most famous models include Picasso, Marlene Dietrich, and Ingmar Bergman.

Despite his passing in 2009, at the age of 92, his name is still revered by those who champion his work as establishing the highest standards of beauty in photography. The sheer versatility of his photographic eye is on full display at Irving Penn: Centennial, a showcase of the man’s medium-defining work in honor of his one-hundredth birthday.

The exhibit, currently showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will last until July 30. Apart from much of his seminal work from across the decades, the exhibit will also display the plain Parisian theater curtain which comprised the backdrop to much of his iconic work, as well as vintage issues of Vogue which contain his photos, and other memorabilia. Centennial is a must-see for Penn devotees, as well as anyone with an appreciation of photography.

 

Pablo Picasso at La Californie, Cannes, (1957). Platinum-palladium print, (1985) 18 ⅝ × 18 ⅝ in. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Marlene Dietrich, New York, (1948). Gelatin silver print, (2000) 10 × 8 1/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Truman Capote, New York, (1948). Platinum-palladium print, (1968) 15 7/8 × 15 3/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

After-Dinner Games, New York, (1947). Dye transfer print, (1985) 22 ¼ × 18 ⅛ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © Condé Nast.

 

Rochas Mermaid Dress (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn), Paris, (1950). Platinum-palladium print, (1980) 19 ⅞ × 19 ¾ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © Condé Nast.

 


Cuzco Children, (1948). Platinum-palladium print, (1968) 19 ½ × 19 ⅞ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © Condé Nast.

 

Single Oriental Poppy, New York, (1968). Dye transfer print, (1987) 16 ⅞ × 21 ⅛ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Naomi Sims in Scarf, New York, (ca. 1969). Gelatin silver print, (1985) 10 ½ × 10 ⅜ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Cigarette No. 37, New York, (1972). Platinum-palladium print, (1975) 23 ½ × 17 ⅜ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Tribesman with Nose Disc, New Guinea, (1970). Gelatin silver print, (2002) 15 ½ × 15 ⅜ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Two Miyake Warriors, New York, (1998). Platinum-palladium print, (1999) 21 × 19 ⅝ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Deli Package, New York, (1975). Platinum-palladium print, (1976) 15 ⅞ × 20 ¾ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Three Dahomey Girls, One Reclining, (1967). Platinum-palladium print, (1980) 19 ¾ × 19 ¾ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Ingmar Bergman, Stockholm, (1964). Gelatin silver print, (1992) 15 ⅛ × 15 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Girl Drinking (Mary Jane Russell), New York, (1949). Gelatin silver print, (2000) 20 ½ × 19 ⅜ inThe Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © Condé Nast.

 

Glove and Shoe, New York, (1947). Gelatin silver print 9 ⅝ × 7 ¾ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © Condé Nast.

 

Ta Tooin (The Bowery), New York, (ca. 1939). Gelatin silver print 9 ½ × 7 ½ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Three Asaro Mud Men, New Guinea, (1970). Platinum-palladium print, (1976) 20 ⅛ × 19 ½ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © The Irving Penn Foundation.

 

Ungaro Bride Body Sculpture (Marisa Berenson), Paris, (1969). Gelatin silver print, (1985) 12 × 9 ⅜ in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © Condé Nast.

 

Comments
↑