The W photo department’s next field trip? To the Gagosian Gallery for its show of Avedon’s iconic murals and portraits. Most people know Avedon for his portraits and fashion photography, but the murals are something else to behold entirely: They’re between 20 and 35 feet wide, are comprised of up to five panels, and feature subjects emblematic of the late 60s and early 70s including Andy Warhol with his Factory stars (above), the Chicago Seven radicals, and Allen Ginsberg and his family, along with various figures on either side of the conflict in Vietnam—all set against the stark white seamless background that had come to define Avedon’s work.
And while I might not be able to afford one of the murals for my apartment—or even fit it—I’m planning on bringing home my own small-scale mural from the gallery shop. (Through July 27; 522 West 21st Street; gagosian.com)Photo: © The Richard Avedon Foundation/courtesy of Gagosian Gallery
