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RICHARD AVEDON IN THE AMERICAN WEST /ANGLAIS
Richard Avedon's In the American West is widely regarded as a landmark project in photographic history and a definitive expression of the power of photographic art. First published by Abrams in 1985 in conjunction with an exhibition at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, the book is being reissued to accompany a 20th-anniversary re-showing of the exhibition at the same museum.
Avedon, who died in 2004, was the greatest American photographer of his generation. For In the American West, he traveled throughout five years, meeting and photographing the plain people of the West: ranch workers, roustabouts, bar girls, drifters, and gamblers. The resulting book includes 120 exquisitely printed black-and-white photographs, an essay by Avedon on his working methods and portrait philosophy, a journal of the project by Laura Wilson, and a new foreword by John Rohrbach. The reissuing of this legendary book, out of print for more than a decade, is a major event in the photography world.
Avedon, who died in 2004, was the greatest American photographer of his generation. For In the American West, he traveled throughout five years, meeting and photographing the plain people of the West: ranch workers, roustabouts, bar girls, drifters, and gamblers. The resulting book includes 120 exquisitely printed black-and-white photographs, an essay by Avedon on his working methods and portrait philosophy, a journal of the project by Laura Wilson, and a new foreword by John Rohrbach. The reissuing of this legendary book, out of print for more than a decade, is a major event in the photography world.
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First published November 1, 2003
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About the author
Laura Wilson
23 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Laura Wilson is an American photographer. Her photographs have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, GQ Magazine, London’s Sunday Times Magazine, Wallpaper and the Washington Post Magazine.
Wilson has done four books. Her latest, Avedon at Work, documents one of the great photographers of the twentieth century. Wilson was Richard Avedon’s assistant for six years and her photographs and journal entries show Avedon’s creative process, working methods, and range of subjects as he worked to complete, In the American West. (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center/University of Texas Press October 2003).
Yale University Press published Hutterites of Montana: photographs and text by Laura Wilson (Fall 2000). Winner: Book of the Year, Carr P. Collins Award, Texas Institute of Letters 2001. Winner: Golden Light Book of the Year Award, Maine Photographic Workshops 2001. David McCullough, the historian, said “A book such as this – a book so clearly and genuinely extraordinary comes along rarely and only as a result of exceptional skill and dedication.”
Watt Matthews of Lambshead: photographs and text by Laura Wilson (Texas Historical Association 1989). The New York Times said the book has become “a classic of Texas history”.
Grit & Glory documents the energy and thrill of six-man football in small Texas towns. (Bright Sky Press September 2003).
Wilson is currently working on three projects, one documents life along the Texas/Mexico border, the second, Making Movies, documents Hollywood directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and actors behind the scenes. The third documents American fighter pilots, who have seen combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Laura Wilson is an American photographer. Her photographs have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, GQ Magazine, London’s Sunday Times Magazine, Wallpaper and the Washington Post Magazine.
Wilson has done four books. Her latest, Avedon at Work, documents one of the great photographers of the twentieth century. Wilson was Richard Avedon’s assistant for six years and her photographs and journal entries show Avedon’s creative process, working methods, and range of subjects as he worked to complete, In the American West. (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center/University of Texas Press October 2003).
Yale University Press published Hutterites of Montana: photographs and text by Laura Wilson (Fall 2000). Winner: Book of the Year, Carr P. Collins Award, Texas Institute of Letters 2001. Winner: Golden Light Book of the Year Award, Maine Photographic Workshops 2001. David McCullough, the historian, said “A book such as this – a book so clearly and genuinely extraordinary comes along rarely and only as a result of exceptional skill and dedication.”
Watt Matthews of Lambshead: photographs and text by Laura Wilson (Texas Historical Association 1989). The New York Times said the book has become “a classic of Texas history”.
Grit & Glory documents the energy and thrill of six-man football in small Texas towns. (Bright Sky Press September 2003).
Wilson is currently working on three projects, one documents life along the Texas/Mexico border, the second, Making Movies, documents Hollywood directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and actors behind the scenes. The third documents American fighter pilots, who have seen combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 13, 2018
This is an amazing book! I loved seeing how Richard composed and created his breathtaking photographs.
December 14, 2017
Fascinating look at how Avedon shot "Into the American West" and the stories and anecdotes that came out of the making of that book over many years of shooting.
February 1, 2021
Lovely inspiring book.
Lovely to have and see the photographs considering I don't have a copy of Avedon's In the American West
However not sure the price tag is warranted
Lovely to have and see the photographs considering I don't have a copy of Avedon's In the American West
However not sure the price tag is warranted
January 3, 2015
This is a most illuminating companion to Richard Avedon's famous monograph In the American West. It provides privileged insight into the artist's way of working based on a long personal acquaintance and professional relationship.
Laura Wilson accompanied Avedon during the six summers in which he shot his monumental portfolio of portraits of ordinary folk in America's heartland - miners, ranchers, drifters, prisoners, ... . She researched and planned the trips and was instrumental in building relationships with potential portraitees.
Wilson is an accomplished photographer herself and kept a compelling visual diary of the project. Her book is a delightful mix of reminiscences, snapshots and artefacts. It documents the evolving scope and depth of the project, key encounters, failed experiments and some of the relationships with sitters that continued well after the end of the project.
We also learn about Avedon's tenacity and uncompromising professionalism: "In the end Richard Avedon photographed 752 people, using 17.000 sheets of film. We worked in 17 states and 189 towns. From this collection he chose 123 photographs for the exhibition at the Amon Carter Museum. The negatives for these portraits are now in the museum's archive with the photographer's directive that they never be printed from again. All the other negatives were destroyed ..."
The book's vibrant backbone is formed by a selection of Avedon's final images.
A word of appreciation for the book's design that provides a very natural and agreeable setting for this layered narrative.
Laura Wilson accompanied Avedon during the six summers in which he shot his monumental portfolio of portraits of ordinary folk in America's heartland - miners, ranchers, drifters, prisoners, ... . She researched and planned the trips and was instrumental in building relationships with potential portraitees.
Wilson is an accomplished photographer herself and kept a compelling visual diary of the project. Her book is a delightful mix of reminiscences, snapshots and artefacts. It documents the evolving scope and depth of the project, key encounters, failed experiments and some of the relationships with sitters that continued well after the end of the project.
We also learn about Avedon's tenacity and uncompromising professionalism: "In the end Richard Avedon photographed 752 people, using 17.000 sheets of film. We worked in 17 states and 189 towns. From this collection he chose 123 photographs for the exhibition at the Amon Carter Museum. The negatives for these portraits are now in the museum's archive with the photographer's directive that they never be printed from again. All the other negatives were destroyed ..."
The book's vibrant backbone is formed by a selection of Avedon's final images.
A word of appreciation for the book's design that provides a very natural and agreeable setting for this layered narrative.
July 21, 2009
I'm just beginning to really learn more about Avedon; one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century. This book, written by Laura Wilson, a fellow photographer who travelled with Avedon around the west for one of his seminal works, offers a small peek into the mind of Avedon.
I must warn you that the insights deal with how Avedon approaches people - there is no technique, no discussion of lighting, nothing technical at all. For me, this is exactly what I wanted from the book. However, if you expecting any of these, you'll want to look elsewhere.
What this book does offer is a wonderful overview of the thoughts behind "In the American West". You begin to feel how Avedon approaches his subjects and how he connects to them. It also gives a feel for the final product - in the case of "In the American West" it was 123 prints out of 17,000.
I must warn you that the insights deal with how Avedon approaches people - there is no technique, no discussion of lighting, nothing technical at all. For me, this is exactly what I wanted from the book. However, if you expecting any of these, you'll want to look elsewhere.
What this book does offer is a wonderful overview of the thoughts behind "In the American West". You begin to feel how Avedon approaches his subjects and how he connects to them. It also gives a feel for the final product - in the case of "In the American West" it was 123 prints out of 17,000.
January 7, 2008
I bought this as a gift, but then we broke up and kept it as a parting gift to myself and could not have been happier. This book chronicles Avedon's groundbreaking trip through the American west, shooting portraits of migrant workers, miners, vagabonds and everyday folk. There are glimpses behind the scenes and of his process and full page reproductions of the goregeous BW images. Avedon changed the way we look at a photo portrait and this book will change the way you look at Avedon.
September 2, 2008
Classic Avedon monograph. We all know the images. We all know the power of seeing them in person in a museum (with not too many other folks looking or nearby, hopefully). But going through this book image by image and then reading Laura Wilson's Background at the end of the book is to experience this project in a grander sense.
March 14, 2011
Fascinating look at Richard Avedon's work to create the photographic series "In the American West". I checked the book out of the library several weeks ago and skimmed through it, then sat down yesterday and read the whole book cover to cover. Laura Wilson's writing is simple but very insightful and helped me understand many current trends in portraiture.
June 14, 2015
More than just a photography book, this is a book about connecting and seeing what is in people. It is about Avedon's process of portrature in the session and before in how he choose people and what he saw in them.
Very easy read as well leaving lots of time to contemplate the ideas.
Very easy read as well leaving lots of time to contemplate the ideas.
February 14, 2008
A brisk read of what it was like to be Richard Avedon's assistant. Photos from the "In The American West" series are discussed and analyzed. As a bonus, the author is Luke and Owen Wilson's mom.
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July 27, 2011Absolutly wonderful. That's about all I can say
August 18, 2012
Such an interesting read about the creative process of Richard Avedon.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
January 24, 2014
A description of Avedon's project and modus operandi in the American West.
October 4, 2016
“A portrait photographer depends upon another person to complete his picture.”
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews