Richard Avedon, the revered photographer whose work has helped shape the legacy of Vogue, had a choice way of introducing himself: “I can’t write, I can’t type, I can’t read my own handwriting, but I can see like a son of a b*tch.” These are the very words uttered by the late lensman as he introduces himself in a new Netflix documentary chronicling his life.
Ahead of its official streaming release on November 11, Ron Howard’s highly anticipated Avedon premiered at the Paris Theater, Manhattan’s longest-running arthouse cinema. Guests dutifully lined up upon arrival at the 58th Street institution, eager to pick up butter-topped popcorn and sour candy before securing their seats.
Greatly influenced by film and dance, Avedon’s genre-defining artistic direction saw him remove models from the confines of studio backdrops and instead photograph them in everyday settings. “He was smart and he was also the right talent and individual for the right time, as it relates to the mediums of photography and magazines,” shared Howard while discussing the project with The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik on stage.
Attendees settled in to watch the 106-minute documentary which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. During his six-decade career, Avedon lensed seminal ads for brands like Calvin Klein and Versace, and captured cultural figures of the day including Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, the Beatles, and Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy. Later, he pivoted from fashion to hard news, capturing images of the Black Panther Party and the Chicago Seven, and even traveled to Saigon to document the impact of the Vietnam War.
“The process really did become a character study of this artist,” Howard said of the documentary. “Although Richard didn’t care passionately about art museums, he was unbelievably passionate about movies and theater. Overall, he really saw himself as a director.”
Following a heartfelt round of applause, the crimson-colored curtains closed, signaling it was time for the after-party to get underway. Thankfully, moviegoers only had to traipse as far right as next door to Bergdorf Goodman, sauntering past the newly installed winter wonderland decor.
On the department store’s second floor, Avedon photography books brimming with famous portraits of Liza Minnelli and Brooke Shields were given pride of place in between displays of Jimmy Choos and Christian Louboutins. Amid the leopard print carpets and chartreuse velvet sofas, guests swapped their favorite moments from the documentary over petite cones of tuna tartare and tangy apple-ginger cocktails.
