MoMA Museum of Modern Art

Irving Penn, 1917–2009

25 Nov 2009 - 03 Jun 2010

Irving Penn
Three Steel Blocks, New York. 1980. Platinum/palladium print
13 1/4 x 20 11/16" (33.6 x 52.5 cm).
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Acquired through the generosity of Lily Auchincloss. Copyright by The Irving Penn Foundation
Museum Lobby

Irving Penn’s unbroken stream of creative invention spanned seven decades and established an indelible standard of clarity, grace, wit, and elegance. The Museum of Modern Art has collected and exhibited his photographs since 1943, and in 1984 we were proud to present a retrospective organized by his friend John Szarkowski, then head of MoMA’s Department of Photography. A selection of Penn’s outstanding photographs from the Museum’s collection is presented as a tribute to this remarkable artist.
 

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