In The American West
Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon‘s In The American West can be considered his version of August Sander’s Antlitz der Zeit. Of course, everything Avedon did was transformed and stamped with his own genius. But Sander is a clear reference point for a book in which Avedon photographed the common man rather than the celebrity. First published in 1985 the book is now again available for its 40th anniversary edition.
Richard Avedon (1923 – 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer, who was born and lived in New York City. He was one of the most influential photographers of the second half of the 20th century. He worked for magazines like Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Elle and The New Yorker. In 1944 Alexey Brodovitch hired him for Harper’s Bazaar. A few years later, in 1946, he became their chief photographer. In 1979 the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, commissioned Richard Avedon to capture his view of the American West. Avedon spent the next six years, from 1979 to 1984, traveling the Western states of America.
He visited state fair rodeos, carnivals, coal mines, oil fields, slaghterhouses and prisons in 189 towns in 17 states to find subjects. Conducting 752 sittings, exposing 17,000 sheets of film through his large-fromat view camera. But instead of the celebrities, models and politicians he usually photographed, Avedon’s subjects were everyday people. Many of whom were dealing with hardship. His signature style posed them against a seamless white backdrop that removed any reference to place, focusing instead on the individuality of each person.
Avedon’s book was controversial when it was first released. Critics question why someone rom the East, one of the world’s highest-paid photographers, who traditionally focuses on models or public figures, would go out West to capture working-class people who represent hardship and suffering. They argue that Avedon’s intentions are to influence and evoke condescending emotions, such as pity, from the viewer.
Such criticism has a certain validity. Which could to some degree have been averted if Avdon had chosen a wider spectrum of Western society. However he narrowed his focus of attention on drifters, hobos, itinerant workers, down-and-out ranchers and general misfits. Who might be considered losers judged by one of society’s big winners. In this sense, the book makes for uncomfortable viewing. And raises serious questions about the way in which photographers could steal souls. That said, the haunting portraits in this book are amongst the most powerful that even Avedon has made.
In The American West
Photographer: Richard Avedon
First published in 1985 by Abrams
40th anniversary edition published in 2025
Hardcover, 27,6 x 35,6 cm, 174 pages, 103 black-and-white photographs throughout
Essays by Richard Avedon and Laura Wilson
Mentioned in The Photobook. A History. Volume 2. Edited by Martin Parr and Gerry Badger