Performance: Richard Avedon

by John Lahr, André Gregory, Mike Nichols

"We all perform. It's what we do for each other all the time, deliberately or unintentionally. It's a way of telling about ourselves in the hope of being recognized as what we'd like to be."
--Richard Avedon, 1974

The preeminent stars and artists of the performing arts from the second half of the 20th century offered their greatest gifts—and, sometimes, their inner lives—to Richard Avedon. More than 200 are portrayed in Performance, many in photographs that have been rarely or never seen before. Of course, the great stars light the Hepburn and Chaplin, Monroe and Garland, Brando and Sinatra. But here too are the actors and comedians, pop stars and divas, musicians and dancers, artists in all mediums with public lives that were essentially performances, who stand at the pinnacle of our cultural achievement. The celebrated author and critic John Lahr offers an elegant assessment of Avedon’s achievement. Four supremely talented artists from the performing arts—Mike Nichols, André Gregory, Mitsuko Uchida, and Twyla Tharp—contribute lively and moving memoirs about their collaborations with Avedon.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art, Art and Photography, The United States Of America, Fashion

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

John Lahr is the senior drama critic of The New Yorker, where he has written about theatre and popular culture since 1992. Among his eighteen books are Notes on a Cowardly Lion: The Biography of Bert Lahr and Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton, which was made into a film.

He has twice won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. Lahr, whose stage adaptations have been performed around the world, received a Tony Award for co-writing Elaine Stritch at Liberty.

He divides his time between London and New York.

Reviews

[Jaimie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second only to the book which collects Avedon's fashion photography portfolio, this book is chalk full of some of the best of Avedon's work. Spanning the creative arts genres to encompass everything from actors to poets, Avedon has captured the people who publicly defined the second half of the 20th-century. Many of the photos are easily recognizable - Avedon was extremely prolific and his photos are everywhere - but many of his lesser know photos are also included. Marilyn Monroe post-performance - an image which captures the exhaustion and sadness behind her public mask - is the best example of this, as it captures the person behind the Hollywood lens, and is therefore not an image that Hollywood wanted released as it did those of the sexed-up persona.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. I bought it at a used book store and the price was hefty for a used book but the photographs are absolutely spectacular. Not only do they capture an era in our cultural history but each one is an individual work of art. I could not put this book down until I had wallowed in each and every photo and accompanying text. Beautiful. The book itself is a giant work of art. I love it.

[Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

given my love of Avedon....

interesting and creative binding but not very practical for reading. everytime I read the book, I'm afraid I'm going to damage the second flap. the photos are typical Avedon; great, incisive, not always flattering but powerful.

[everinasweater · Rating 5 out of 5]

simply stunning and inspirational as someone drawn toward creative portraiture. this is a great collection

[Anthony Ungaro]

Innovator of modern fashion photography, can't want to read this

[Paola · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'é poco da dire. Solo da avere.