The Getty Center announces upcoming fashion exhibit

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Apr 27, 2018

Los Angeles' J. Paul Getty Museum has announced its upcoming exhibition “Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography, 1911-2011,” containing 160 photographs, costumes, illustrations, magazine covers and ads.

The museum's official announcement explains that "This exhibition surveys the rich and varied history of modern fashion photography, exploring the ways in which photographers whose careers have been closely associated with the industry have shaped evolving notions of style and beauty."

Curator Paul Martineau has selected the works of notable fashion photographers and artists including Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Man Ray, Peter Lindbergh, and Helmut Newton. More than 80 artists and photographers are featured in the exhibit.

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In an interview on the Getty's blog, Martineau said previously individual photographers who worked for specific publications, namely Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, have been the subject of fashion photography exhibits. Martineau said, "There have been very few projects that have addressed the topic in a comprehensive way."

The Getty's director, Timothy Potts, said that it is a culturally relevant time to present a survey of the role fashion photography has played in the industry.

In a statement, he said despite its commercial origins, "fashion photography is now recognized as having produced some of the most creative work of the 20th century, transcending its illustrative function to yield images of great artistic quality and sophistication."

The exhibit will be located in the lower level of the Getty Center's West Pavilion. It will open June 26 and be available to the public through October 21.