The famed fashion photographer, Irving Penn passed away today, October 7, 2009, at age 92.
During his life, he left his photography mark on Vogue—starting his career at the legendary glossy and continuing to showcase his brilliance on the pages over the years.
Irving Penn’s style can be described as perfectly calm and spellbinding, pulling the viewer into the eyes and spirit of the model.
His talent is regarded as extremely high status by both the fashion and modeling industries, as he was not only the photographer to many muses, but also the husband of Lisa Fonssagrives. The master of images worked with model muses over the decades from the 1940s to today, including Dorian Leigh, Veruschka, Linda Evangelista, and Kate Moss. Just last year, a 1996 portrait by Irving Penn of Kate sold for $97,000 in a Christie’s auction.
His photographic history will live on through his books as well as the Irving Penn Archives at the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago.
In his memory, here is a selection of memorable images from Irving Penn.
