An Autobiography: Richard Avedon

Signed and dated by the artist, this oversized volume assembles 284 photographs by Richard Avedon from throughout his career. Rather than the traditional memoir suggested by its title, the book presents iconic portraits of the era’s stars along with heroic faces of unknown subjects, arranged into intriguing juxtapositions. In his preface, Avedon explains: “This book tracks the path of three crucial illusions in my life. The first section is about the illusion of laughter, and a young man’s discovery of the fine line between hilarity and panic. The second section is about the illusion of power. The third section is about the loss of all illusions. All of the images were brought to me by the real people and events of my time.”