Richard Avedon's In the American West Debuts in Italy at Palazzo Esposizioni Roma
From 9 October 2026 to 31 January 2027, Palazzo Esposizioni Roma will present the complete collection of Richard Avedon's In the American West, 1979-1984, marking its inaugural full exhibition in Italy. Curated by Clément Chéroux, this display includes all 110 images featured in the 1985 Harry N. Abrams publication, along with archival items from the Richard Avedon Foundation. Avedon embarked on this project in 1978, capturing portraits of over a thousand individuals across twenty-one states between March 1979 and October 1984, including notable figures like Ronald Fischer, Sandra Bennett, and Petra Alvarado. Following exhibitions in Paris (2025) and Madrid (2026), the show is supported by the Assessorato alla Cultura di Roma Capitale, with a reissue of the book available alongside.
Key facts
- Palazzo Esposizioni Roma hosts Richard Avedon's In the American West, 1979-1984 from 9 October 2026 to 31 January 2027.
- The exhibition is curated by Clément Chéroux, director of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson.
- It brings together all 110 photographs published in the 1985 Harry N. Abrams volume, plus archival materials from the Richard Avedon Foundation.
- Avedon traveled through twenty-one states from March 1979 to October 1984, photographing over a thousand people.
- The project began in 1978 in Montana after Avedon photographed ranch foreman Wilbur Powell; the image appeared in Newsweek and drew attention from Mitchell A. Wilder of the Amon Carter Museum.
- Subjects were photographed frontally against a large white backdrop outdoors in shade, using natural light and a 20x25 cm large-format camera.
- The series was first shown in 1985 at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth and published that year.
- The exhibition follows presentations at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris in 2025 and Fundación Mapfre in Madrid in 2026.
- A reissue of Richard Avedon, In the American West by Harry N. Abrams accompanies the show, with Italian translations of texts by Avedon and Laura Wilson and a contribution by Clément Chéroux.
Entities
Artists
- Richard Avedon
- Clément Chéroux
- Wilbur Powell
- Mitchell A. Wilder
- Ronald Fischer
- Sandra Bennett
- David Beason
- Jesse Kleinsasser
- Petra Alvarado
- Boyd Fortin
- Fred Astaire
- Audrey Hepburn
- James Baldwin
- Laura Wilson
Institutions
- Palazzo Esposizioni Roma
- Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Richard Avedon Foundation
- Harry N. Abrams
- Harper's Bazaar
- Vogue
- Newsweek
- Amon Carter Museum
- Metropolitan Museum
- MoMA
- Azienda Speciale Palaexpo
- Assessorato alla Cultura di Roma Capitale
- Fundación Mapfre
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- United States
- Montana
- Fort Worth
- Texas
- Davis
- California
- Rocky Ford
- Colorado
- Denver
- El Paso
- Paris
- France
- Madrid
- Spain
- Saigon
- Vietnam