PHOENIX, AZ.- This December, Phoenix Art Museum presents the work of one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century in Richard Avedon: Among Creatives. Drawn from the collection of the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) in Tucson, the exhibition presents more than 50 photographs by Richard Avedon (1923-2004), highlighting his distinctive large-scale portraits of fellow artists, actors, writers, and more, in addition to his contributions to fashion photography. Richard Avedon: Among Creatives is on view at the Museum from December 6 – May 25, 2025.
“We are excited to share this intimate perspective of Richard Avedon’s work with our audiences,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “Avedon is one of the most prominent portrait photographers of the 20th century, and due to his work in fashion, Hollywood and the art world, he is an artist that many people are familiar with. Among Creatives, however, is a fascinating study on the ways artists weave intricate webs of influence and inspiration among themselves, and how Avedon was able to capture such complex relationships and identities in a single, still image.”
Born in New York and with an early interest in photography, Avedon first gained prominence as a fashion photographer by working for Harper’s Bazaar magazine. As the scope of his career broadened, he trained his lens on many of the most influential figures of his time, among them fellow creatives from the fields of art, music, literature, film, and design. Through Avedon’s unflinching eye and technical prowess, the appearances and expressions of these celebrity subjects became amplified for public scrutiny, encouraging viewers to consider the gaps between their private lives and the public personas that had come to define them.
Distilled from the exhibition Richard Avedon: Relationships, previously presented at the Palazzo Reale in Milan and Kunsthal Rotterdam, Among Creatives examines how Avedon portrayed fellow artists. The exhibition of more than 50 works spans his career, showcasing portraits as well as examples of Avedon’s fashion photography in conversation with archival magazine materials that demonstrate how these images were used commercially. The exhibition begins with Avedon’s self-portrait before moving into a series of portraits featuring celebrities that Avedon photographed across multiple stages in their lives, including Marilyn Monroe and Carson McCullers. Other portraits include those of Andy Warhol, John Ford, Allen Ginsberg, Brigitte Bardot, Marlene Dietrich, and Paul McCartney, and models such as Dovima, Veruschka, and Penelope Tree, among others.
“By pairing Avedon's fashion work with his portraits of fellow creative people, Among Creatives explores how a leading artist of his generation portrayed the concept, meaning, and perception of artistry,” said Emilia Mickevicius, the Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography at Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography. “The exhibition’s work encourages viewers to see Avedon’s subjects, alongside the ways Avedon himself is grappling with his own fame, morality, and legacy. I hope viewers will leave the show with a new appreciation of his work—how he was deeply skilled at directing the people he photographed, and how he was a true master of his tools and materials.”
