October 6, 2022 |
“Iconic is an overused word but these images are truly iconic,” is how Donatella Versace described the advertising campaigns that the late Richard Avedon produced for Versace over the course of almost 20 years. Dating from 1979 to 1998, Avedon collaborated with Gianni and Donatella Versace, his images supercharging the supermodel phenomenon.
Now, a new, major exhibition entitled, Richard Avedon: Relationships, has arrived at Palazzo Reale (the Royal Palace) in Milan – with a little help from Versace, of course. It opened amidst the madness of Milan Fashion Week and will run straight through until January 29, 2023.
So, what can we expect from the display? Ever the exhibitionist, it’s a bombastic presentation of Avedon’s peerless photographical finesse and his prevailing instinct for condensing the modern obsessions, desires and dreams of an expansive audience, produced and organised with publishing firm Skira Editore and with both Versace and Vogue Italia as partners. Afterall, the great American artist is one of the world’s most renowned fashion and portrait photographers, still, 18 years following his passing. Showcasing a collection of 100 photographs from the Richard Avedon Foundation and the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, selected by curator Rebecca A. Senf, it’s an evocative show – provocative at times even. The selection includes original prints from Versace campaign shoots taken during the 1990s, with world-famous supermodels at the fore, from Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, to Christy Turlington, Shalom Harlow and Naomi Campbell. Prince, Elton John, Courtney Love and Donatella herself were also lensed by Avedon, and there are video interviews with Gianni Versace from 1994 in the mix too. Plus, a new interview with Donatella Versace that was made specially for the exhibition.
Avedon’s maverick gaze saw the naked bodies as complementary to the dressed ones. He was a curator of contemporary visual culture, whose legendary images helped to define the role of the photographer in the creation of fashion fantasies and came to define the empowered Versace image that is burned into our brains.
“Trust. For me that is the foundation of the best relationships,” Donatella said. “With Avedon there was absolute trust. Trust in his light. Trust in his storytelling. Trust in our shared vision. Trust in our relationship. Avedon and Versace are inseparable.”
Photography by Richard Avedon, courtesy of Versace.
