Four decades after its debut at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Richard Avedon’s In the American West is back at the Fort Worth museum with a fresh perspective. Richard Avedon at the Carter, an exhibition showcasing forty of Avedon’s groundbreaking portraits as well as archival photographs captured by artist Laura Wilson, will be on view May 18 - Aug. 10.
“We are thrilled to be presenting photographs from the historic commission by the Carter that resulted in Richard Avedon’s influential series, In the American West, 40 years after we debuted the body of work in our galleries,” stated Andrew J. Walker, Executive Director at the Carter. “Photography is a cornerstone of the Museum’s collection, and this series is a testament to our commitment to not only the collecting and preservation of this medium, but our longstanding tradition of working with living artists.”
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WATCH HEREIn 1979, the museum’s then-director Mitchell A. Wilder approached Avedon with a challenge: capture the American West. Avedon, a celebrated fashion and portrait photographer, had photographed the famous, the influential and the glamourous including George H. W. Bush when he was the Director of the CIA, Bob Dylan on the streets of New York, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at the Waldorf Astoria. From 1979 to 1984, Avedon captured a very different element of American life: everyday people simply portrayed in front of a seamless white backdrop. Their humanity, hardships and determination are the focus of these stark portraits.
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SIGN UP To create this series, Avedon traveled to 17 states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming – and as far north as Canada. After 752 sittings and 17,000 sheets of film, In the American West opened at the Fort Worth museum in 1985. The resulting images are large portraits, some up to 4 feet tall and 11 feet long. Each photograph ofthe series is titled with subject’s name, location, date, and often occupation. Avedon called these 124 photographs “a tribute” to these westerners and 40 years later, the works are considered the most important and influential portraits of the 20th century as they continue to challenge the stereotypes of the West.
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art owns one of only two complete sets of the images.
“Of the many photographic treasures housed by the Carter, Avedon’s In the American West series is perhaps the most influential of them all,” said María Beatriz H. Carrión, Assistant Curator of Photographs at the Carter. “The project profoundly impacted the field of U.S. photography. It also shaped the trajectory of the Museum by catalyzing its commissioning of living artists. It is an honor and a privilege to work with this series and to shed light on the fascinating history of its making.”
To complement 40 of these portraits, Richard Avedon at the Carter features a selection of behind-the-scenes memorabilia including the commission contract with Avedon, letters exchanged between the artist and the Carter, copies of signed photo releases by the sitters, Avedon’s travel log, as well as plans for the inaugural exhibition, guest lists, and press coverage from the opening.
This new exhibition also includes Laura Wilson’s photographs documenting Avedon’s travels and his creative process during the production of the photographs that would become In the American West. These archival materials provide a deeper look at the process of working with a living artist, offering new insight into the iconic portrait series four decades after its first presentation.
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The Amon Carter Museum of American Art will celebrate the exhibition during the Museum’s free June Second Thursdays at the Carter event on June 12 from 5–8 p.m.
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