Richard AvedonEvidence 1944-1994

'Evidence', the title of this retrospective, however direct it may seem, is open to question. Evidence of what? The reality captured by photography, the photographer's imagination, and their mediation by the viewer appear inaccessible to the simple logic of evidence. We are convinced that the moments depicted here truly existed, and the photographs provide tangible proof: yet we know that these pages are art, not an objective "reality." The question of evidence therefore remains. Evidence: a lingua franca to express the original existential dilemma? Whatever their titles, retrospectives must transcend mere hagiography. Although this often runs counter to the laudatory tone that generally characterizes such an undertaking, a critical evaluation is necessary. While admiring certain masterpieces that have now become part of our shared visual vocabulary, the discerning visitor will take a step back to grasp the broad outlines of a lifetime's artistic work. (text in the book)

Evidence provides clues to the life and work of Richard Avedon comma with more than 600 photographs, including previously unpublished material from Avedon’s personal archives. Formal portraits, fashion sittings, reportage, magazine covers, preparatory Skechers, contact sheets, snapshots, photographs of the artist and his colleagues: evidence of fifty years of work by the most celebrated photographer of the age.