Observations (Avedon book)
OCLC 1455816 | |
Observations is a collaborative coffee table book with photography by Richard Avedon, commentary by Truman Capote and design by Alexey Brodovitch. It features a slipcase with color, all-capitalized lettering; the book itself is further housed in a clear acetate/glassine slip cover and is printed with the same bold design as the slipcase in black-and-white. Simon & Schuster published the work in 1959 having it printed using the photogravure method in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Conception
Avedon and Capote started collaboration on the book in 1945.
Contents
Observations contains numerous portraits of famous people of the twentieth century, including Pablo Picasso, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Katharine Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Mae West.
Reception
Kerry William Purcell contends the book's design represents the pinnacle of Alexey Brodovitch's book designs.[2]
The book is a sought-after collectors item and typically sells for hundreds of dollars, even when not in ideal condition.
References
- Notes
- ISBN 0-7867-1661-4p. 306-307
- ISBN 978-2-84323-116-2p. 170
- Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-241-12549-6.
- Stanton, Robert J. (1980). Truman Capote: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography (1st ed.). New York: G K Hall & Company. ISBN 978-0-8161-8108-7.