Richard Avedon was born in New York City, in the year 1923. He first gained interest in photography at a young age, when he joined a camera club at age 12. In his early adulthood, he became a freelance photographer working primarily for Harper’s Bazaar. His works were of models in nightclubs, on the streets, on the beach, and many others. He quickly became very popular; working with Vogue for many years, and then at The New Yorker as the first staff photographer. He was creative with his photography style and used his talents to work with popular fashion brands like Calvin Klein, Versace, and many others. He used black and white, simple backgrounds, dramatic light, and various sizes to enhance the cultural importance and originality of his works. Later in his career, Avedon began expressing his political and personal views. He created several works like my assigned image Andy Warhol and members of The Factory; including his mural of the Chicago 7 that was created in 1969. The Chicago 7 were 7 defendants who were under suspicion of inciting riots over politics. This mural and his others, show us his ability to capture counterculture in similar ways with his technique but convey different messages like political rebellion and celebrity notions. His images showcasing people related to mass media and political rebellion woke people up to the changes happening in society during the Vietnam War and embraced them. 

Associated Places

by Khloe Hanlon

Richard Avedon’s murals, The Mission Council, Andy Warhol and members of The Factory, and The Chicago Seven and Allen Ginsberg’s Family hold profound artistic and cultural significance, marking a pivotal evolution in photographic portraiture and American visual history. Best known for his stark, large-scale black-and-white photographs, Avedon’s murals departed from the traditional individual portrait by assembling groups of subjects into life-sized, panoramic compositions that demanded viewers confront their scale and presence. These works, created primarily in the late 1960s and early 1970s, reflected the political and social turbulence of the era—capturing civil rights activists, Vietnam War protesters, counterculture figures, and political personalities. What made Avedon’s murals particularly impactful was how they blurred the line between photography and fine art. Displayed in monumental formats, sometimes exceeding 30 feet in length, the murals elevated photography to a scale typically reserved for historical paintings. Avedon’s compositional approach was also original. He used a plain white background and great detail to isolate his subjects, focusing all attention on their expressions, gestures, and interpersonal dynamics. This approach placed influential figures at the forefront of the public and highlighted the emotional and psychological nuances of the moment. For example, in his mural The Mission Council (1971), he captured top U.S. military and political advisors during the Vietnam War in a way that subtly exposed their personalities and power dynamics. Ultimately, Avedon’s murals represent a fusion of artistry and social commentary. They serve as both intimate portraits and documents of life during the transformation people were experiencing during this time. Three of these murals were later displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with Allen Ginsberg’s Family remaining in the collection of the Isreal Museum. Their display at the Met reasserted photography’s capacity to engage with contemporary issues on a grand, impactful scale—as a sculpture would. This showing cemented Avedon’s legacy in both photographic form and cultural advocacy through his art.

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by Khloe Hanlon

The image Andy Warhol and members of The Factory was taken inside of The Factory, which was Andy Warhol's studio. The Factory held parties for emerging and aspiring artists. The Factory regulars would create and experiment in the walls of the buildings. There were three locations of The Factory between 1963 and 1984, the original being at 231 East 47th Street, and the others being at 33 Union Square West, and 860 Broadway. In 1969 at the 33 Union Square West location, it was almost reformed into a regular office after Warhol survived an attempted assassination by a radical feminist named Valerie Solanas. This was also around the time that Warhol co-founded the Interview magazine. This image encapsulates the essence of The Factory and the vibe of the people present there. It was known that people from all professions and walks of life enjoyed time in The Factory, making it a hub for societal change when being put in a spotlight like it was after Avedon's photo. The Factory was famous for making the public uncomfortable. Within the walls, there was drug use, sex, and a queer presence, which freaked people out. Experimental films were created in The Factory; such as Chelsea Girls, a 3-hour-long film that includes unedited conversations and monologues from Warhol’s “superstars” in the Chelsea Hotel. The films created in The Factory exposed what really went on- the conversations, the drug use, sex acts, and the unfiltered expression of the artists that entered; whether that be their unedited words or their art. It was a space where the convention was upended and art was created in collaboration with emerging pop culture figures like Candy Darling, a popular artist in 1969 who was transgender. What we see in Andy Warhol and The Factory is the diversity of the studio and its guests, and how they all worked collaboratively toward a common goal, to make art and express themselves.

Associated Places

by Khloe Hanlon

The reason that I offered that background concerning those three events is that it helps me to explain what Andy Warhol and Members of the Factory was doing socially, culturally, and, politically when Richard Avedon created it. The images that were produced by Richard Avedon resulted in a pushback from the public. His images included themes and people that openly pushed the boundaries of art and culture. His work done at The Factory encapsulated counterculture. The Factory was a hub for drugs, sex, and free expression. These were not things that were viewed positively by society at the time. This work is significant because of Avedon’s ability to protest societal beliefs with one image and in his way, just by being inside of The Factory. The image itself displays pivotal figures of art and counterculture, the context of The Factory itself allows us to better establish an intent of the image beyond just the people we see. The style and composition of his images, including all of his murals, are encaptivating. The simplicity of the images themselves but the larger-than-life sizing of them is monumental. Avedon's large murals elevate the people captured and their lives. These portraits gave people society did not deem worth of attention a spotlight and turned countercultural figures into icons by putting them on the same pedestal as political or social figures. The size of the art also gives the viewer a close-up of the subjects. Being able to see the textures and facial details of the person photographed adds tension to the viewer and makes the viewer feel almost compelled by them. This caused discomfort and uproar within society because they were in a sense face to face with the complete opposite of what they believed to be “normal”. The impact of the murals and their size is an important background to include because it encourages us to consider the details more closely and realize how culturally significant these images are beyond first glance.

Avedon, Richard. “The Chicago Seven, Chicago.” The Art Institute of Chicago, Photography and Media, www.artic.edu/artworks/159557/the-chicago-seven-chicago

Links to an external site.. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

chm_admin. “The Chicago 7 Trial.” Chicago History Museum, 4 June 2024, www.chicagohistory.org/chicagoseven/

Links to an external site.

“The Richard Avedon Foundation.” The Richard Avedon Foundation, www.avedonfoundation.org/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025. 

Richard Avedon / 1923 - 2004 / Photographer of Fashion and Real People, www.sfgate.com/news/article/RICHARD-AVEDON-1923-2004-Photographer-of-2690338.php. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025. 

“Andy Warhol’s ‘The Factory’ Biography.” Fine Art Original Prints, www.masterworksfineart.com/bio/andy-warhols-the-factory?srsltid=AfmBOopJSIcXkO0k7fXOqKHdFv6wCaahe8epGu2DXvwtyZIwYU26xuLI

Links to an external site. . Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

 “Andy Warhol’s Factory: About: Legacy.” Guy Hepner, guyhepner.com/news/318-andy-warhol-inside-the-factory-what-was-warhol-s-factory/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.

Chelsea Girls by Andy Warhol | National Galleries of Scotland, www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/93227/chelsea-girls. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025. 

Brent, Frances. “Visual Moment: Photographer Richard Avedon’s New Take on the Group Portrait.” Moment Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023, momentmag.com/visual-moment-photographer-richard-avedons-new-take-on-the-group-portrait/. 

“The Richard Avedon Foundation.” The Richard Avedon Foundation, www.avedonfoundation.org/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025. 

“Fotonostrum Presents the Exhibition ‘Richard Avedon, behind the Scenes.’” METALOCUS, www.metalocus.es/en/news/fotonostrum-presents-exhibition-richard-avedon-behind-scenes. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025. 

Associated Places

by Khloe Hanlon