The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

Ronald Fischer, beekeeper, Davis, California, May 9, 1981

Ronald Fischer, beekeeper, Davis, California, May 9, 1981

1981, printed 1985
(American, 1923–2004)
Image: 143.1 x 114.5 cm (56 5/16 x 45 1/16 in.); Paper: 151.5 x 119.8 cm (59 5/8 x 47 3/16 in.)
© The Richard Avedon Foundation
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

There are between 115,000 and 125,000 beekeepers in the United States.

Description

Beginning in 1979, Avedon visited nearly 200 communities to chronicle often ignored and overlooked people who worked at hard, uncelebrated jobs. This iconic image is one of the most memorable portraits from the 775 he made for his landmark series In the American West. An entomologist from the University of California, Davis, brought 120,000 bees to the shoot. The perfect confluence of idea and execution resulted in this dramatic image of the beekeeper at total peace with the mass of insects arranged in an allover, abstract pattern on his upper body. Fischer’s stoic gaze perfectly fit Avedon’s new definition of a photographic portrait: "I’m looking for people who are surprising-heartbreaking-or beautiful in a terrifying way."
  • (Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, CA)
    September 6, 2005
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 315
    Tannenbaum, Barbara. "Collection. Richard Avedon's Centenary: Iconic beekeeper portrait now on view.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 63, no. 3 (2023):36-37. Reproduced: P. 36; Mentioned: P. 37.
  • Main Gallery Rotation (Gallery 229): April 14, 2014 - October 28, 2014.
  • {{cite web|title=Ronald Fischer, beekeeper, Davis, California, May 9, 1981|url=false|author=Richard Avedon|year=1981, printed 1985|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2005.143