Irving Penn [J0043]

1984 - PB Nice clean condition, 12x10-inch. One of the most distinguished practitioners of portrait and fashion photography of the mid-twentieth century, Irving Penn's work is identified by its refinement of craft, by the wit and grace of its formal invention, and by its sensitivity to the quality and character of light. Backed by Vogue magazine, Penn brought a classic economy and concentration to the overblown world of fashion photography, to portraits of artists, writers, and theater people, and to ethnographic studies of style and ornament in little-known corners of West Africa, Nepal, Peru, and New Guinea. This book, published in conjunction with an exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, is the first comprehensive retrospective of Penn's work. The essay by John Szarkowski follows a brilliant career, from its art-school beginnings to the provocative still lifes, photographs of cigarette butts and street detritus--works of eloquence and classical rectitude, made from the least consequential of subject matter.--From publisher description.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I bought this book mainly because of Penn's wonderful portraits of such people as C. Day Lewis, John Osborn, and others, but there is a wonderful sampling of Penn's other work, including quite a few of his fashion portraits, several of which feature his beautiful wife, a former model. You'll love the portraits, but I think you'll find quite a few of his other works that you enjoy equally as well, just as I did.";