Richard Avedon was an American photographer best known for his iconic portrait and fashion photographs that defined American culture and aesthetics. In 1944, Avedon started out as an advertising photographer at a department store and quickly climbed his way to the top as fashion photographer for large fashion publications such as Harper's Bazaar. Later on in his career, Avedon would begin taking photos of civil rights workers, political and cultural dissidents, patients of mental hospitals, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is often credited for erasing the line between commercial and artistic photography as a result of his intimate and evocative style.
Source: avedonfoundation.org
