Ask any photographer what made Irving Penn a genius, and you will get many answers.
Irving Penn, “Hippie Family (Kelley), San Francisco, 1967,” (platinum-palladium print, 16 5/8 inches by 14 3/16 inches)
Penn said, “A good photograph communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it.” The great photographer checked those boxes every time. The elegant minimalism of Penn’s portraits and still lifes place viewers in the moment and in the same room with his subjects. His covers for Vogue are legendary and defined an era. The Fine Art Museums of San Francisco presents Irving Penn, showcasing a 70-year career. It includes images from his Summer of Love series photographed in the Bay Area. March 16-July 24, de Young, Herbst Exhibition Galleries, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., famsf.org
Photography by: THE IRVING PENN FOUNDATION
