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Five Reasons To Mourn And Celebrate Irving Penn
The Costume Institute Has No Clothes
Beyoncé Strikes A Pose; Thom Browne Might Go Under

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dangergus
10/08/09

In reply to Five Reasons To Mourn And Celebrate Irving Penn
Irving Penn is one of my favorite artists and I am sad to hear of his passing. I saw a retrospective of his work at the Chicago Art Institute, probably 10 years ago and was blown away by so many of his photographs. In particular, this image of Miles Davis' hand, in which you can see every line in his palm.

There was also an image from his nude series of the model's vagina, which has stayed with me ever since. My experience up to this point with works of art of women and vaginas done by men made me embarrassed and uncomfortable in their sex and taboo. I could not look at them without being uncomfortable and often felt they didn't have much more purpose than to shock.

Although Penn's image was taken from the same familiar male perspective: directly from between her legs, Penn's image with it's emphasis on light and shadows made it somehow not sexual to me but a thing of beauty to be looked at with awe and wonder and no shame. I could have contemplated it for hours.

It was so lovely and abstract that it didn't hit you immediately what you were looking at it, but once you recognized it, you couldn't help but look closer.

His work was art.
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mariamariamaria
10/08/09

In reply to Five Reasons To Mourn And Celebrate Irving Penn
Aw damn. I have adored and been fascinated with Irving Penn's work since I was a girl. I will miss him every month when I turn to Jeffrey Steingarten's monthly article. I loved the photo illustrations he created to accompany the articles. Even years later I can still recall many of those images.
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Edited by mariamariamaria at 10/08/09 7:06 PM mariamariamaria was starred mariamariamaria was unstarred

keldo
10/08/09

In reply to Five Reasons To Mourn And Celebrate Irving Penn
Summer Sleep is so swoony and evocative. Heat, fan snooze....
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Edited by keldo at 10/08/09 6:30 PM keldo was starred keldo was unstarred

Baroness
10/08/09

@keldo: I agree, very dreamy. On Mad Men last week there was a sultry summer night, with fans on at the Draper house, and kids chasing fireflies..nicely evocative and this picture reminded me of that a bit.

A lovely appreciation of Penn, Jenna. Thanks.
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Mary McCarthyite
10/08/09

In reply to Five Reasons To Mourn And Celebrate Irving Penn
I saw a show of his photographs of authors -- like Colette and Truman Capote (pictured here!), among dozens of others -- at the Morgan Library a year or two ago; they were great. The kinds of photographs you can stare at for hours.
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Edited by Mary McCarthyite at 10/08/09 6:24 PM Mary McCarthyite was starred Mary McCarthyite was unstarred

Mary McCarthyite
10/08/09

@Mary McCarthyite: I can't remember what other portraits there were in the exhibit! But they were all very moving.
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Casquivana
10/08/09

In reply to Five Reasons To Mourn And Celebrate Irving Penn
He took this amazing picture of Yves Saint Laurent, which I love and is one of my favorites
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Casquivana
10/08/09

@Casquivana: Another try...
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MIXED
10/08/09

In reply to Five Reasons To Mourn And Celebrate Irving Penn
The photo of the nude model is breathtaking. I would love to find a book with his collections. Perfect coffee table reading.
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sassyredhead
10/08/09

In reply to Five Reasons To Mourn And Celebrate Irving Penn
That cigarette butt pic is so amazing. I want it in my home now.

And yes, I smoke.
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Edited by sassyredhead at 10/08/09 6:08 PM sassyredhead was starred sassyredhead was unstarred

greengrey
10/08/09

@sassyredhead: Same and Same. I want it framed in my smoking room.
(I like to pretend I have a smoking room. Where cognac is served.)
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Spike49
10/08/09

@sassyredhead: Thirded. AND, I am a sassy redhead as well. May I heart you for all these things we have in common?
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sassyredhead
10/08/09

@Spike49: Of course! And right back at ya!
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sassyredhead
10/08/09

@greengrey: Are there bookshelves and ambient lighting?
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greengrey
10/08/09

@sassyredhead: Yup! And it has a stone floor!
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Sukie in the Graveyard
05/08/09

In reply to The Costume Institute Has No Clothes
When one is busy romanticizing what fashion and modeling once was, they forget to consider what it is now. What it will be.

This exhibit seemed to be so much about showing the history of fashion. What there anything in the exhibit to communicate how each model influenced the artist? Their personalities, likes, dislikes, attitudes or just damn (sound it out) "jua de vie" (cause I can't spell it, let alone even begin to start). HOW did the model muse? They don't just stand there. You CANNOT tell me that Veruschka just Stood there and that photo came out.

Also, that ring belt IS the outfit. Fail. Super Fail.

I'm sorry it sucked. Let's make a better one.
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Baroness
05/08/09

In reply to The Costume Institute Has No Clothes
Beautifully written, I'm sorry it was a disappointment. The soundtracks, graffiti, unlit cigarettes- wow what sorry props. As you said, it's hard to fail with some stunning, classic fashion photography.
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tonightineed is actually Mrs. Ziegler-Spock
05/08/09

In reply to The Costume Institute Has No Clothes
It sounds so underwhelming, and for that I am quite sad :(
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rightorwrong
05/08/09

In reply to The Costume Institute Has No Clothes
Sounds lame. Too bad, it should have been great. Both the Costume Institute and Islamic Art have been missing for years. I hope someone with influence is paying attention. I'll be seeing it on Saturday and Sunday - my usual deathmarch and art appreciation weekend.
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hfree
05/08/09

@rightorwrong: The Islamic Art galleries are being rennovated as part of the same project as the Greek and Roman galleries. They haven't been forsaken, I promise. I've seen some of the plans and it will be lovely when it's finally finished.
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hfree
05/08/09

In reply to The Costume Institute Has No Clothes
I still think this was an odd choice for an exhibit in an art museum in the way they are presenting it. If the point is model as muse and concentrates as much on the photographers as the designers, then the clothes are almost secondary. It seems like this would have worked much better as a photography exhibit. The Avedon show at the Met a few years back was fantastic, as was the David Bailey "Birth of the Cool" show in the UK in 2001. Both shows seemed to say more about the relationship between photographer and subject than this show. And if they left out Alaia then it really has nothing to do with model and designer. I usually really enjoy the Costume Institute shows, an included entries in my masters thesis about "Dangerous Liasons" and "Anglomania", but this one and the superheroes show last year just missed so badly. Why can't they stick to the small shows in the basement galleries? Those are always intriguing and well curated.

P.S. on the blank mannequins. I don't know if they are using them in this show, but the mannequins they use in the main Costume Institute basement galleries are based on Christy Turlington (both facially and in body proportions).
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Sandicomm
05/08/09

@hfree: Superheroes was okay, but they could have done so much more: gender roles, power dynamics, current state of the comic book industry. Instead it was all, "Hey, look, brightly colored body suit. IT MUST BE A SUPERHERO." Please. The exhibit could have been so much better.

The only exhibits that I saw recently that I loved was the Poiret exhibit and the Nan Kempner exhibit. But it seems like sponsors and donors (like Ms. Wintour) have really gained control of the Institute. The quality of the exhibits has really gone downhill. Poor Harold Koda.
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hfree
05/08/09

@Sandicomm: I'm hoping that the acquisition of the Brooklyn Museum's collection will breath some new life into the Institute. Something to shake things up.
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Aesop's Foibles. YES.
05/08/09

In reply to The Costume Institute Has No Clothes
.....At least no one's jumping. Right? That's good!
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Fate'sBitch
05/08/09

In reply to The Costume Institute Has No Clothes
Um, that 1980 Veruschka is Amazing. I want it poster-sized and framed on my wall, like now.
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Fate'sBitch
05/08/09

@Fate'sBitch: blerg, 1968.
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milominderbinder
05/08/09

In reply to The Costume Institute Has No Clothes
the second picture looks so much like man ray's photographs of lee miller i think it was meant as an homage to surrealist photography
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Fate'sBitch
05/08/09

@milominderbinder: I agree, I immediately thought of Nude Bent Forward when I saw it.

[www.culture24.org.uk]
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Five Reasons To Mourn And Celebrate Irving Penn

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