The Irving Penn: Centennial exhibition, the fourth organized by the Marta Ortega Pérez Foundation following showcases dedicated to Helmut Newton, Steven Meisel, and Peter Lindbergh, will be available for viewing from November 23, 2024, to May 1, 2025.
The exhibition space at Muelle de Batería in the Galician city of A Coruña will host this tribute to Irving Penn this autumn. Following the tradition of previous photographers – Helmut Newton, Steven Meisel, and Peter Lindbergh – the foundation once again focuses on one of the most important fashion image creators of the 20th century. The Irving Penn: Centennial exhibition, which will be open from November 23, 2024, to May 1, 2025, showcases many of his most iconic images, spanning from the late 1930s to the first decade of the 21st century.
Organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and exclusively presented in Spain at the MOP Foundation’s space in A Coruña, the exhibition features around 175 works, offering a comprehensive overview of Penn’s photography. This includes portraits of celebrities such as Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Salvador Dalí, and Gianni Versace, among many others. Additionally, it features abstract nudes, street scenes, floral compositions, street signs and litter, fashion studies, and still lifes.
Penn was a regular contributor to Vogue for over seven decades, revolutionizing fashion photography by capturing models against neutral backgrounds to highlight the fabrics, gestures, and expressions. His work not only redefined the genre but also set new standards of artistic and technical excellence.
Marta Ortega Pérez, president of the MOP Foundation, stated, “Irving Penn’s image creation is exemplary. In Penn’s hands, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, revealing the profound beauty of simplicity. His work is more than capturing moments; it captures the essence of his subjects and invites us to see the world differently. His enduring legacy lies in the ability of his photographs to stimulate our imagination each time we view them. It is a true honor to present this magnificent exhibition in A Coruña and continue our mission to present the best fashion photography exhibitions. Irving Penn: Centennial is a wonderful odyssey through the lens of one of the greatest professionals in photography. It is a celebration of art, vision, and the imprint of a photographer whose work remains as relevant and powerful as it was decades ago.”
