November, 2009
Legendary Photographer Irving Penn Passes
On Oct. 7, Irving Penn passed away at his home in New York City at the age of 92. Known for his striking images of fashion models, celebrities and motorcycle gangs, Irving Penn led the way for blurring the lines between commercial and fine art photography. Penn leaves behind a legacy of photography that has influenced and continues to influence generations of photographers. Switching from an early career as a painter, Penn started working at Vogue in 1943 as an art director, moving into photography shortly afterwards. His portraits were infinite studies of lines, shapes, black and white, and abstract geometry. His wife, Lisa Fonssagrives, a former Swedish ballerina, frequently modeled for Penn and the two collaborated on a series of fashion studies, most notably, "Woman With Roses."
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