Irving Penn & Fashion at MEP Paris Reveals the Photographer's Vogue Legacy
The "Irving Penn & Fashion" exhibition is currently on display at the Maison européenne de la photographie (MEP) in Paris, running until January 17. Featuring 70 pieces from the Nicola Erni Collection and curated by Pascal Hoël, the showcase highlights Penn's journey from his inaugural Vogue cover in October 1943 to more than 160 additional covers. Notable works include his rare outdoor series captured in Peru in November 1948 and the Christmas at Cuzco portfolio released in December 1949. Additionally, the exhibition features his platinum-palladium prints, nudes, and later creations such as Beauty Treatment with Gauze Mask (1997). Penn, a New Jersey native, was enlisted by Vogue art director Alexander Liberman in June 1943 and collaborated with six assistants until his passing.
Key facts
- "Irving Penn & Fashion" runs at the Maison européenne de la photographie (MEP), 5-7 rue de Fourcy, 75004 Paris, until January 17.
- The exhibition is curated by Pascal Hoël and features 70 works lent by Swiss collector Nicola Erni from her private museum collection.
- Irving Penn's first Vogue cover appeared in October 1943, when he was 26; more than 160 covers followed.
- Penn's first outdoor series, Flying Down to Lima, was shot in Peru in November 1948 and published in Vogue four months later.
- In Cuzco, Penn photographed 2,000 Quechua Indians over three days; the Christmas at Cuzco portfolio ran in the December 1949 issue.
- In June 1950, Alexander Liberman sent Penn to Paris to photograph haute couture collections by Balenciaga, Dior and Rochas, with model Lisa Fonssagrives.
- Penn made virtuoso platinum-palladium prints by hand in his Long Island barn.
- The show was initiated by a meeting between former MEP director Simon Baker and collector Nicola Erni.
Entities
Artists
- Irving Penn
- Pascal Hoël
- Simon Baker
- Nicola Erni
- Babs Simpson
- Jean Patchett
- Alexander Liberman
- Arthur Penn
- Walker Evans
- Eugène Atget
- Alexey Brodovitch
- Horst P. Horst
- Cecil Beaton
- Helmut Newton
- Guy Bourdin
- Lisa Fonssagrives
- Issey Miyake
- Mary Jane Russell
- Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn
- Marisa Berenson
- Christian Dior
- Courrèges
- John Galliano
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Cristóbal Balenciaga
- Lafaurie
- Rochas
- Pablo Picasso
- Jean Cocteau
- Elsa Schiaparelli
- Ikko Tanaka
- Karl Lagerfeld
- Christian Lacroix
- Phyllis Posnick
- Quentin Chevrier
- Naomi Sims
- Diana Vreeland
- Lauren Hutton
- Galliano
- Nicolas Ghesquière
- Nicole Kidman
Institutions
- Maison européenne de la photographie (MEP)
- Vogue
- Nicola Erni Collection
- The Irving Penn Foundation
- Condé Nast
- Harper's Bazaar
- Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Arts
- Balenciaga
- Dior
- Rochas
- Connaissance des Arts
- Maison européenne de la photographie
- Irving Penn Foundation
- Erni collection
- Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Les Franciscaines de Deauville
- BnF
- Mrac – Musée régional d'art contemporain Occitanie / Pyrénées Méditerranée
- Maison Européenne de la Photographie
- The Miyake Issey Foundation
- designboom
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Costume Institute
- Miyake Issey Foundation
- Ungaro
- Courrèges
- Chanel
- Galerie Magazine
Locations
- Paris
- France
- New York
- United States
- Peru
- Cuzco
- Lima
- Mexico
- New Jersey
- Long Island
- San Francisco
- New Guinea
- Zug
- Switzerland
- Deauville
- Zoug
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Rue de Vaugirard
- Marais
- Seine