They Shoot, They Score

Courtesy of the ICP

ARTS / style

They Shoot, They Score

the ICP puts on four exhibits that explore fashion and style though the camera lens

By Amy Davis

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In 2009, New York’s world-renowned International Center for Photography will devote its coveted gallery space to the influential world of fashion photography.

For the first half of the “Year of Fashion,” curators have compiled four diverse exhibits in a fascinating collection of the industry’s most influential and groundbreaking pieces. These displays—”Weird Beauty,” “Edward Steichen: In High Fashion,” “This is Not a Fashion Photograph,” and “Martin Munkacsi: The Lost Archives”—present the varied angles of fashion photography in an unprecedented manner: on a level akin to fine art. Despite the varied nature of the four exhibits, the exhibition is sure to leave the fashion savvy and fashion-phobes alike with a newfound appreciation for the genre’s unique niche in the artistic community.

Weird Beauty
Upon entering the glass doors of the ICP at 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue, one is greeted by a plethora of magazine tear sheets carefully arranged on the stark-white gallery walls. The first of the four exhibits, “Weird Beauty,” explores innovative fashion photography, much of it shot within the last two years. The pictures, taken from mainstream glossies like W magazine and Vogue, will have all burgeoning fashionistas hooked at “hello.” Photographs by fashion veterans Tim Walker, Steven Meisel and Paolo Roversi skillfully present jewel-toned headbands, sequined clutches, and leather miniskirts as props rather than focal points in their fantastical sets, making it easy for viewers to forget that they are looking at fashion magazine spreads in the first place. Instead of explicitly advertising these items, photographers conjure up fantasies, selling a lifestyle rather than a product. Case in point: a naïve-looking Dakota Fanning playing dress-up in chiffon in front of contemporary photog Juergen Teller’s lens for a Marc Jacobs advertisement. Although the latest trends are identified in these photos, it’s the innovative and outlandish settings in which they are presented that keep magazine subscribers coming back for more.

Edward Steichen: The Condé Nast Years
On display in the downstairs gallery are photographs that follow the father of the modern fashion photograph, Edward Steichen, throughout his years at Vanity Fair and Vogue. Steichen’s work, published during the first-wave feminist movement, gives a glimpse into the lives of strong, courageous American women. Instead of shooting his models in stuffy and antiquated poses, he would snap them working, sitting at a desk, or laughing. Unlike other fashion photographers of his time, who repeatedly shot a homogenous mix of mannequins, his photographs capture the personalities of his models, allowing their auras to shine through the picture with the same vivacity as the couture. In shifting the aesthetic of fashion photography, Steichen defined a pivotal moment in the history of the medium and influenced countless others.

This is Not a Fashion Photograph
In “This is Not a Fashion Photograph,” curators have compiled a plethora of photojournalistic images from the past century. Displaying pieces by Walker Evans, Lisette Modell and Weegee, the raw and unmasked realities explored in the studies taken from the ICP’s permanent collection emphasize the fact that, according to curator Vince Aletti, “style is everywhere you look.” It’s on a subway car, at a political rally, or even walking down the streets of New York. The exhibit, which is composed solely of photojournalistic images of civilian subjects, ultimately challenges the meaning of fashion, and emphasizes its inextricable role in everyday life.

Martin Munkacsi: The Lost Archives
Famed photojournalist Martin Munkacsi’s exhibition, The Lost Archives, is nothing short of brilliant. The Hungarian artist creates beautifully dynamic photographs of his models in motion—jumping or leaping. As he captures the movement of his models, he also captures the movement and fluidity of the garments they wear, allowing the fashion to jump off the page. With an aesthetic incredibly ahead of his time (he died in 1963), his unique style breathed new life into the art form, making the world of fashion seem all the more attainable to monthly magazine subscribers while simultaneously influencing generations of photographers to take risks in adding life to their photos.

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5 February 2009
vol. 6, issue 2

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