Irving Penn Portraits, featuring Marlene Dietrich, New York (1948). Courtesy NPG, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Irving Penn © Conde Nast Publications, Inc
Exhibition: Irving Penn Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, London, February 18 - June 6 2010
This seven-decade retrospective of Irving Penn's career at Vogue magazine is the first exhibition dedicated to the legendary American photographer since his death in October 2009.
Featuring 120 pieces – a number of which are previously unseen – the chronological journey is also the first display of Penn's work at the Gallery for 25 years.
Penn's extensive career started with the fashion oracular in the 1940s, and his portraits offer a singular perspective on modern history from an artist whose style and technique made him stand out from his contemporaries.
Fellow Vogue stable mates Lee Miller and Cecil Beaton showed their subjects in working environments or against complex or dramatic sets – Penn used simple backdrops which allowed the sitters the opportunity to express themselves.
Two of his early studio props included a corner composed using theatre flats and a solid base covered with a carpet. It is fascinating to see how each sitter chooses to interact with the background.
Georgia O'Keefe appears to shrink into the setting, becoming relatively small, whereas The Duchess of Windsor cuts an imposing and statuesque figure against the same backdrop.
Penn's simple studio settings allowed him to transcend outside appearances and reveal something about what his sitter was feeling on the inside.
The contact sheet shown alongside the portrait of English novelist Ivy Compton Burnett shows Penn's eye for small movements, such as the change in the expression on someone's face.
Further small motifs which can be traced through the collection include pieces of thread and cigarettes, either being smoked or discarded on the floor.
Irving Penn Portraits catalogue. Courtesy NPG
Standout pieces include Harlequin Dress – featuring Penn's wife, the iconic model Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn – and his famous shot of Pablo Picasso, where half the artist's face is shadowed by a wide-brimmed hat and the collar of an overcoat.
Magazines are on display throughout the exhibition, allowing Penn's portraits to be realised in their original setting as well as chronicling the changing representation of portraiture in the media over the last 70 years.
The Gallery doesn't bombard the visitor with information in the exhibition, choosing instead simple introductions to each section together with quotes from Penn.
In this way the pictures are allowed to take centre stage, highlighting the class of the portraits and the little details which became Penn's calling card.
Admission £8-£10 (free for accompanied under-12s). Book online or call 0844 579 1924.
Visit the exhibition online for details of the programme of accompanying events.
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