The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Duchess of Windsor, New York, May 27, 1948
May 27, 1948
(American, 1917–2009)
Image: 24.3 x 19.6 cm (9 9/16 x 7 11/16 in.); Paper: 25.4 x 20.3 cm (10 x 8 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
© Condé Nast Publications
Location: not on view
Description
Irving Penn's portraits from the late 1940s are the foundation of his reputation as one of the major portraitists of the post-World War II era. His distinctive approach involves the elimination of all unnecessary distractions in order to emphasize the sitter alone by concentrating on the face, gesture, posture, and attire. In the "corner portraits," commissioned by Vogue in 1948, Penn placed his subjects in the center of a narrow triangular space he created in his studio. To a great degree, the subjects posed themselves. The portraits reflect his sitters' responses to the psychological and physical consequences of being confined. In this remarkable image the Duchess of Windsor appears to be stepping out of the pages of Vogue. She stands confidently, eyes focused on the camera, her posture and facial expression powerfully conveying a sense of dignified grandeur.- Cleveland Museum of Art, “New Cleveland Indian Arrives at the CMA,” November 27, 1998, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
- Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007); Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (October 3, 2009-January 3, 2010).The Cleveland Museum of Art (6/24/07 - 9/16/07) and Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittburgh, PA (10/3/2009 - 1/3/2010); "Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art", no exhibition catalogue.Art Institute of Chicago, Nov. 22, 1997 - Feb. 1, 1998: "Irving Penn: A Career in Photography," exhibition catalogueWashington, DC, National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery, March 30 - Aug. 19, 1990: "Irving Penn: Master Images: The Collections of the National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery," exhibition catalogue no. 78.
- {{cite web|title=Duchess of Windsor, New York, May 27, 1948|url=false|author=Irving Penn|year=May 27, 1948|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1998.177