Woman in the Mirror

Among the significant projects of the last year of his life, Richard Avedon completed Woman in the Mirror, a book of his photographs of women from 1945 to 2004. Always transcending categorization, Avedon is considered one of the world's most influential fashion photographers and has been called the "poet of portraiture." He was interested in seeing how elemental facets of modern life and human existence were reflected in his work. And what could be more elemental than women, who have mesmerized artists across the centuries?
Avedon created an unparalleled view of women in his time, a tumultuous half century of rapidly changing social mores, cultural ideals, popular styles, and high fashion. As an artist, he was deeply responsive to nuances of expression, gesture, and comportment. His photographs unfailingly opened a window to the interior lives of his subjects, who ranged from celebrities (Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin, Maria Callas, Isak Dinesen), to legendary models (Suzy Parker, Twiggy, Kate Moss), to women who simply drew his attention. Like the best of art and literature, Avedon's portraits evoke rich lives and complex experiences.