“Taking people away from their natural circumstances and putting them into the studio in front of a camera did not simply isolate them, it transformed them. Sometimes the change was subtle; sometimes it was great enough to be almost shocking. But always there was transformation.”
Irving Penn, Worlds in a Small Room, 1974
“Irving Penn was one of the most influential photographers of our time. His iconic images helped define 20th-century photography.
The news of his death today greatly saddens all of us at the Getty who worked with him in the past, and more recently over the course of putting together the Small Trades exhibition and publication.
We offer our condolences to his family, and to colleagues at his studio whom we have come to know over the course of the past year.
Mr. Penn’s death transforms our current exhibition of his work into a poignant testimony of his contribution to the field of photography – one that we are privileged and honored to share with our visitors.”
Michael Brand, Director of J. Paul Getty Museum, 7.10.09
Irving Penn (American, born 1917), Coal Man (C), London, Negative: 1950; Print: 1951 © 1951, restored 1996 Condé Nast Publications, Ltd. Gelatin silver print, 34 x 25.7 cm (13 3/8 x 10 1/8 in.) Partial gift of Irving Penn. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2008.
