Richard Avedon

A shy Greenwich Village book clerk is discovered by a fashion photographer and whisked off to Paris where she becomes a reluctant model.

Richard Avedon’s photographs didn’t just reflect culture, they shaped it, and continue to do so. The feature documentary AVEDON traces the life and legacy of an artist who used fashion, portraiture, and commercial photography to explore identity, power, fear and beauty. With unprecedented access to Avedon’s archive, including never before seen photos, behind the scenes recordings, and interviews with those who knew him best, AVEDON is a visually stunning examination of the mind of an artist who shaped our collective image of the 20th century.

A model tells a television crew about her dreams of a life with prince charming all while fending off the lecherous advances of a horde of men.

Gilda Radner is recorded during a live comedy concert. Radner's classic characters are seen in sketches that are sometimes more risque than when they appeared on television. During her breaks, the character Father Guido Sarducci takes the stage.

Avedon's commercial advertisement for the Japanese womenswear brand Jun Ropé features an innovative and unexpected approach to the genre that reflects the famed photographer's exceptional signature style. Opening onto a behind-the-scenes look at a photo shoot, the camera follows the supermodel Veruschka as she transforms from a suit-clad, mustached character in drag to an unabashedly glamorous fashion icon dressed in a designer gown and posing for Avedon himself. While initially produced for a commercial client with the leading industry talents of the day, the video underscores the artist’s savvy understanding of the performative—and ultimately flexible—nature of social constructions of gender, femininity, and the self.

American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.