Irving Penn: Centennial

by Maria Morris Hambourg, Jeff L. Rosenheim, Alexandra Dennett (Contribution by), Philippe Garner (Contribution by), Adam Kirsch (Contribution by)

Overview

The definitive book on the work of a virtuosic and revered American photographer

Irving Penn (1917–2009) was among the most esteemed and influential photographers of the 20th century. Over the course of a nearly seventy-year career, he mastered a pared-down aesthetic of studio photography that is distinguished for its meticulous attention to composition, nuance, and detail.  This indispensable book features one of the largest selections of Penn’s photographs ever compiled, including famous and beloved images as well as works that have never been published. 
 
Celebrating the centennial of Penn’s birth, this lavish volume spans the entirety of his groundbreaking career. An enlightening introduction situates his work in the context of the various artistic, social, and political environments and events that affected the content of his photographs.  Lively essays acquaint readers with Penn’s primary subjects and campaigns, including early documentary scenes and imagery; portraits; fashion; female nudes; peoples of Peru, Dahomey (Benin), New Guinea, and Morocco; still lifes; and much more. Irving Penn: Centennial is essential for any fan of this artist’s work or the history of 20th-century photography. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781588396181
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	04/25/2017
Pages:	372
Sales rank:	439,908
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 12.30(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

Maria Morris Hambourg is an independent curator of photography. Jeff L. Rosenheim is curator in charge of the Department of Photographs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Editorial Reviews

[Penn] never stopped finding new ground until a year before his death at 92, in 2009. Irving Penn: Centennial…presents page after page of startlingly fresh images…

The New York Times Book Review - Luc Sante

"This stunning catalogue to the Met’s centennial exhibition draws out art historical connections within Penn’s authoritative, meticulously composed, nuanced oeuvre. This is a vivid social chronicle too, reflecting Penn’s long working life as a fashion photographer and portraitist."—Jackie Wullschlager, Financial Times

“Irving Penn: Centennial, by Maria Morris Hambourg and Jeff L. Rosenheim, presents page after page of startlingly fresh images.”–Luc Sante, New York Times

"An opulent volume, which represents the most comprehensive and multi-faceted publication of the photographer’s work to date."—Leica Fotografie International

"Robust and richly rewarding. . . . Kaplan . . . brings his deep knowledge and wise insight to Berlin’s life story so that even his most classic songs like 'White Christmas' feel like a new discovery."—National Book Review

From the Publisher

"The attention that has been paid to the reproduction of Penn’s works is exceptional."—Lucy Davies, World of Interiors 1 August 2017
 

World of Interiors - Lucy Davies

"An opulent volume, which represents the most comprehensive and multi-faceted publication of the photographer’s work to date."—Leica Fotografie International July 2017
 

Leica Fotografie International

"Such depth, subtlety and grace – increasingly rare in modern photography – speaks to the viewer not in exclamations, but in pure poetry … A key book for fans of photography."—Glass Magazine July 2017

Glass Magazine

“This stunning catalogue to the Met’s centennial exhibition draws out art historical connections within Penn’s authoritative, meticulously composed, nuanced oeuvre. This is a vivid social chronicle too, reflecting Penn’s long working life as a fashion photographer and portraitist.”—Jackie Wullschlager, Financial Times

Financial Times - Jackie Wullschlager

"Vast and insightful volume […] one of the finest photography books of recent years."—Christian House, Art Agency Partners

Art Agency Partners - Christian House

★ 10/01/2017
There is no dearth of books about the life and art of Irving Penn (1917–2009). WorldCat catalog shows almost 100 titles by or about the remarkable mid-20th-century fashion photographer and portraitist. This major retrospective catalog, accompanying the exhibition of the same name at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, including more than 200 plates, is stunning. Penn's career spanned the 1940s through the first decade of the 21st century, during which he produced sophisticated fashion photography, impressions of celebrities and cultural icons, and still life studies. Standouts include his portraits of the peoples of Peru, Benin, New Guinea, and Morocco, images that suggest ethnographic studies are actually elegant fashion photos. His images of zaftig female nudes anticipated the body positive movement, but were too outré for 1950 when they were made. VERDICT With hundreds of photographs from every phase of Penn's career, together with informative essays on his life and work by Hambourg and other Met curators, this title's quality of the printing does justice to the superb caliber of Penn's originals.

Library Journal