Do Not Forget - Irving Penn at the Getty

Do not miss the Getty Exhibit of Irving Penn's photography. If you have already seen the exhibit, go again.

Penn was one of the most respected photographers of the 20th century. In a career that began at Vogue in 1943 and spans more than six decades, he has created innovative fashion, still life, and portrait studies. His photographs are defined by the elegant simplicity and meticulous rigor that have become the trademarks of his style.

The exhibition begins with an overview of the Small Trades photographs Penn created in Paris, London, and New York in 1950 and 1951. The first gallery includes original gelatin silver prints, as well as French, British and American editions of Vogue magazine that published selections of the photographs from each city. Several galleries are devoted to the platinum/palladium prints that Penn began to make after several years of experimentation in the mid-1960s. One gallery presents Penn's photographs of one trade as found in each of the three cities. Another focuses on Penn's process, comparing gelatin silver prints and platinum/palladium prints side-by-side. Other groupings demonstrate Penn's use of tools to create elegant, balanced compositions; his fascination with the crisp uniforms associated with the Parisian restaurant trades; and his dynamic treatment of technological occupations in New York. Ends January 10, 2010.