Wise and ebullient. - Dwight Garner The New York Times The first definitive biography of
Richard Avedon a monumental photographer of the twentieth century from award-winning
photography critic Philip Gefter. In his acclaimed portraits Richard Avedon captured the
iconic figures of the twentieth century in his starkly bold intimately minimal and forensic
visual style. Concurrently his work for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue transformed the ideals of
women's fashion femininity and culture to become the defining look of an era. Yet despite his
driving ambition to gain respect in the art world during his lifetime he was condescendingly
dismissed as a celebrity photographer. What Becomes a Legend Most is the first definitive
biography of this luminary-an intensely driven man who endured personal and professional
prejudice struggled with deep insecurities and mounted an existential lifelong battle to be
recognized as an artist. Philip Gefter builds on archival research and exclusive interviews
with those closest to Avedon to chronicle his story beginning with Avedon's coming-of-age in
New York between the world wars when cultural prejudices forced him to make decisions that
shaped the course of his life. Compounding his private battles Avedon fought to be taken
seriously in a medium that itself struggled to be respected within the art world. Gefter
reveals how the 1950s and 1960s informed Avedon's life and work as much as he informed the
period. He counted as close friends a profoundly influential group of artists-Leonard Bernstein
Truman Capote James Baldwin Harold Brodkey Renata Adler Sidney Lumet and Mike Nichols-who
shaped the cultural life of the American twentieth century. It wasn't until Avedon's fashion
work was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the late 1970s that he became a
household name. Balancing glamour with the gravitas of an artist's genuine reach for worldly
achievement-and not a little gossip-plus sixteen pages of photographs What Becomes a Legend
Most is an intimate window into Avedon's fascinating world. Dramatic visionary and remarkable
it pays tribute to Avedon's role in the history of photography and fashion-and his legacy as
one of the most consequential artists of his time.
