Richard Avedon is without hesitation one of my favourite photographers of the late 20th Century. For the last official exhibition of his lifetime, he chose Annie Leibovitz to photograph him. Heralded as one of the most significant artists of contemporary photography, it goes without saying he's more than a connnoiseur when it comes to photography. The fact that he chose Leibovitz amongst the wide range of other photographers that now exist showed the woman has unrivalled talent. Apart from seeing her works in Louis Vuitton adverts and a few notable photoshoots, I wasn't overtly familiar with her work until I heard her exhibition was a must. I remembered seeing the portrait of Avedon by Leibovitz, and thinking it was very good, so I went along, curious to see what it was about Leibovitz that the great Avedon had respected. -
The exhibition concentrates on her oeuvre over the years 1990-2005, and there is enough to cover two large floors of the prestigious ConsejerÃa de Cultura y Deporte in Madrid. The works contrast between varied themes of celebrity, landscapes, and personal moments, all of which are captured with sentiment and originality. The stunning photographs she takes of landscapes seem to resemble abstract expressionist canvases in the way in which subject is removed and it is hard to decipher what we are looking at exactly, yet these weren't the most emotionally effective in my opinion. The photographs that gave me chills at times, and made me laugh at others were the ones she took during this time of people.
-
-
Celebrities by Leibovitz are mostly covers of magazines, namely Vanity Fair, which she took over the years. Not only are these very beautiful to look at, they are also very creative in their depiction of famous stars. The infamous shot of Demi Moore totally in the nude whilst carrying her first child with Bruce Willis, was all Leibowitz´s idea. The picture is startling, not only because it shows an actress who people revere and idolise in her most natural state of being, it also shows the beauty and appeal of a pregnant woman, something which is often neglected. It takes Moore away from her celebrity status and puts her on the same level as millions of woman out there, looking more radiant than ever. Another image of a woman I particularly appreciated was one of the Queen of England standing tall in a forest wearing a black cloak, surrounded by unsettling dark lighting. It showed the woman stripped of gowns and crowns, placed in mysterious scenery, showing her for who she is, someone we do not really know yet put on pedestal due to monarchical distinction. It also attributed her with legendary status whilst radically contrasting from the usual portraits we see of the queen in pink suits. -
The setting she uses to photograph her models are at times amusing, at times more tragic depending on the message she tries to convey. The photograph of Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump was one of my favourite ones, showing the absurdity of money and glamour in a flamboyant way. Ivanka Trump poses in a gold bikini on the steps of her private jet whilst her father waits for her at the bottom of the plane in a black convertible Lamborghini Murcielago, an eccentric sports car some might say. Another shot I enjoyed was one of the Osbourne’s in their home, taken at the peak success of their reality show. It shows the superficial nature of the situation with Ozzy Osbourne on the loo naked and covered in tattoos, while his wife holds their pooch in satin pink pyjamas, all this with TV crew surrounding them. Leibovitz doesn´t just capture a moment in time, but encapsulates the absurd concept of Reality TV.
-
In some of her photographs there is a distinct sense of pose and artistic direction, she does not capture her subjects au naturel, as would Mario Testino, but places them in distinct settings where their personality can best shine through. Johnny Depp and Kate Moss, photographed at the time when they were still an item, is a perfect example of Leibovitz´s compositional choice. She places Moss naked on the bed eyes open, Depp with jeans on lying on top of her seemingly asleep. Both are unquestionably attractive and the sexuality they emit in their day to day has been arrested flawlessly. The relationship between the two is so intimately taken yet obviously staged, giving the entire photograph mythical magnetism, in which the viewer cannot help but stop and stare. Along the same thread, Brad Pitt sulking in a hotel room drenched in blood orange light, bed linen and clothes also oozes divine allure.
It is not only celebrities which Leibovitz focuses on; she also takes some very real shots of life around her, often of most distressing nature. A small part of the exhibition is dedicated to pictures she took in Sarajevo after it emerged from the shadow of war. We see small children who have lost everything, mothers seeking them desperately and blood stained walls following brutal massacres. The exhibition also has pictures of people who made a difference in the world, not just celebrities, but activists whose work Leibovitz supports. One photograph I particularly liked of the latter subjects was of Rebecca Denison, the founder of WORLD (Women Organised to respond to Life threatening Diseases). Denison is shown in profile with red hands covered in words such as: Courage, Hope, and Never Give up etc. A product of Leibowitz´s creativity.
-
Finally, the best and most poignant part of the exhibition for me was the set of photographs of Susan Sonntag. Being an art historian, I have come across many of Sonntag´s papers, especially those surrounding New York Modernism, but I was not familiar with the actual woman. Leibovitz started taking pictures of the very cultured woman in the early 90´s when she first learned she had cancer. As we continue the exhibition, we see her condition deteriorate and follow her difficult times through chemotherapy, subsequent fatigue and finally, her death. The photographs are not, in contrast to Leibowitz´s celebrities, posed. They are taken very fluidly in the everyday monotony of city life and are very touching in the depiction of the woman. The choice to do them in black and white re-enforces their down to earth nature and removes any artifice that might have been apparent otherwise. It is in touch with the sombre tone of the subject´s health. Overall, it acts as a tremendous proof of friendship and love from the artist who was with her every step of the way through these hard times. It shows she was willing to keep her alive through photographic medium, even though her friend (and rumoured lover) was imminently dying, thus continuously relighting the candle as it was being blown by the wind.
-
These images by Leibovitz seem to act as small movies, as the artist would describe them herself. We do not see a sole moment, but a continuous flow of actions which she seizes into one single photograph. Indeed, it appears the woman dubbed a “rock and roll photographer” succeeds in this retrospective exhibition to prove the versatility of her style. From the small intimate family and friend shots taken spontaneously, to the more grandiose images of icons which are more constructed and posed, both manage to strip down the subjects to their essentials. Ultimately, this makes them more true to life than ever.
