Richard Avedon April 1965: Joins Vogue, Rises in Popularity
- Richard Avedon was a professional photographer born May 15, 1923, in New York, and died October 1, 2004. Avedon’s interest in photography, especially fashion photography, came from his father’s interest. After becoming a successful photographer, in 1965, Richard Avedon joined Vogue and began fashion photography. Avedon signed a 1-million-dollar contract with Vogue and remained there for the next 20 years. As Avedon rose in popularity, he began to specialize in photographing celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Marian Anderson, Francis Bacon, and many others. Avedon also photographed Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Andy Warhol. He was also known for photographing members of congress, presidents, and movements like the anti-war activist group, the Chicago Seven, who had been charged by the federal government due to the anti-Vietnam War protests.
- Avedon was incredibly well known, and he was known for taking pictures of things deemed controversial. The pictures of Andy Warhol and his Factory is just one prime example of how Avedon was constantly pushing the societal boundaries in his work.
- Important to note, due to his popularity, Richard Avedon published his first book, Observations, in 1959. According to Diane Arbus, another photographer, individuals who were not known before the photoshoot would become famous after the publication of Observations.