In the American West

Richard Avedon was a famous fashion photographer, producing many Vogue covers. But between 1979 and 1984, he took a road trip through the Reagan-era American West to produce a series of portraits of the people he found there. Far from the stereotypes, Avedon photographed workers, some very young, and all sorts of interesting characters. The 110 portraits are on display at the Cartier-Bresson Foundation in Paris till 12 October.

Avedon was born in New York City in 2023. He developed an early interest in photography, and worked as a photographer in the merchant navy during WWII. After the war, he became well known for his fashion shoots and portraits of Marilyn Monroe, James Baldwin, Audrey Hepburn, Samuel Beckett and many more.

He perfected a style of black-and-white portraiture, often using a stark white background. And this was the technique he applied to the portraits commissioned for In the American West.

Many of his subjects were young (Sandra Bennett at the top of the page was just 12  when photographed in Rocky Ford, Colorado), and often already working.

On his American road trip, Avedon photographed coal miners, herdsmen, homeless people and members of the Hutterite religious colony in Montana. Even when his subjects look rather "Western", it's often more nuanced. For example, this woman in a Stetson was the publicist for a large rodeo in Wyoming, so her Western gear is a form of uniform, promoting the event.

 

This video in French presented by the curator of the exhibition gives more information about the photographer and this project.

 

 

Richard Avedon, In the American West
Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris
Till 12 October 2025

You can see more photos and read more about the photographer on the Richard Avedon Foundation site.