Avedon Advertising: A Photographic History

Avedon Advertising brings together more than 200 images that trace the evolution of advertising, fashion, and consumer culture across the second half of the twentieth century and is the first major survey of Richard Avedon's groundbreaking commercial photography.

This volume presents many of Avedon's most celebrated advertising photographs in one comprehensive collection. The images reveal his unmatched ability to combine artistic vision with commercial communication, creating campaigns that remain instantly recognizable decades later.

One of the most influential photographers of his era, Avedon created work that exemplified Madison Avenue at the height of its influence in world culture. Working with a talented cadre of models, copy writers, and art directors, Avedon made images that enticed consumers to embrace the new, especially in the areas of fashion and beauty, with campaigns for Revlon, Chanel, Calvin Klein, Dior, and Versace, among many others.

Avedon Advertising tells this story, reproducing memorable ads that range from the buoyant 1940s and 1950s, when postwar prosperity opened up new experiences to consumers; through the explosive ’60s; and into the era defined bycelebrity-driven global branding.

Supported by contributions from the Richard Avedon Foundation and leading scholars, the book places these photographs within the broader history of photography, fashion, media, and advertising.

A landmark volume for photographers, designers, marketers, fashion historians, and admirers of Richard Avedon's work, Avedon Advertising offers an essential look at the images that helped define modern consumer culture.