Sometimes it’s the stories behind the camera that bring the most meaning to a photograph. Such was the case with a young assistant who rose to Richard Avedon’s studio manager, also charged with the darkroom to eventually become a master printer and photographer in his own right.
In November, at the flagship store downtown, Neiman Marcus CEO, Geoffroy van Raemdonck hosted an intimate party to celebrate Gideon Lewin’s book Avedon: Behind the Scenes, 1964-1980 along with an exhibition of his photographs. The event for the exclusive monograph was prompted by a call to van Raemdonck from Lewin’s wife and partner, the inimitably talented fashion designer Joanna Mastroianni.
“Gideon and Joanna are true masters of their crafts. This collection of photos illuminates Richard Avedon’s epic career and is a tribute to his immeasurable contributions to art, fashion, and design. Our customers’ are providing rave reviews after seeing Gideon’s exclusive prints, Joanna’s fashions and the unique Neiman Marcus platinum edition of the book,” says Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO, Neiman Marcus Group.
Nearly 10 years in the making, due to copyright legalities with The Richard Avedon Foundation, Neiman Marcus is the exclusive retailer for the Deluxe Edition of Lewin’s Avedon: Behind the Scenes, 1964 -1980, which includes a signed number print from the 275-limited edition collection.
Of Lewin’s greatest lesson working with the late master, he said, “While I was still a young assistant and we were trying to figure something out for a shoot I said, ‘It can’t be done’ and he became angry and said, ‘There is so no such thing as it can’t be done. Go back figure it out and figure out a way.’ That became of a way of life. I became a problem solver. I can build sets and create light where there isn’t. On a Japan trip (in 1966 for Vogue) there were times when we didn’t have light and I had two portable strobes that I had to rig up in some way in the middle of nowhere.”
Avedon, known for his endless resourcefulness, took to the streets when he had no studio access. “You had to be flexible; you had to be ahead of the game, ahead of his thoughts. I learned how to fix cameras, to take them apart and put them back together when they were frozen from the cold. I became a problem solver, everything went through me―’Gideon, Gideon’ a hundred times a day. At night sometimes; I was on call 24 hours a day.”
Lewin said at the same time he was able to do his own work on nights and weekends in Avedon’s studio. “I also printed his exhibitions. In 1970, he had a major exhibition in Minneapolis―245 pictures had to be printed. At the last minute, he wanted to include the photographs of the Chicago Seven he had just taken.”
Lewin also printed Avedon’s photographs of his dying father for a 1974 MOMA exhibition. For an exhibition with Marlborough, he printed 10 x 24-foot portraits of the Chicago Seven who were a pivotal part of the peace movement and became notorious for rioting in protest of the Vietnam War. “It was a triptych and no one was making prints that large,” he said. He also printed the photographs for the 1978 Metropolitan Museum of Art show―a very first for a fashion photographer.
The tome’s cover features a photograph of Avedon behind an Avedon mask Lewin photographed and printed as a surprise in celebration of the Minneapolis Museum of Art opening. Avedon later told the protégé he was not much in for surprises. He was, however, always up for challenges. “I had learned solarization in school. “How about solarization he said one day.” So for Avedon’s prints he created “a process that was unconventional as far as solarization is concerned. I created the ability to selectively solarize film three times within a very short period of time to different colors. That’s how Avedon’s 1967 The Beatles posters were made. What I invented was the method of doing it selectively and controlled.”
Following the book signing, attendees shopped a curated gallery of Lewin’s limited-edition photographs as well as the couture and ready-to-wear collections designed by Joanna Mastroianni. “Gideon’s photographs have been the inspiration for my spring 2020 collection. I have created a variety of silkscreen prints made from his photographs. My go-go dress is very 60s and inspired by the photograph of Jean Shrimpton. I design clothing like it is a piece of jewelry,” Mastroianni enthused.
Shrimpton, an icon of Swinging London, Mastroianni’s entire spring collection celebrates that sixties-vibe with architectural jackets and floor-length coats, “interesting embroideries inspired by the details of the photographs. The snowflakes that became like fruit and have these little monkeys climbing up and having fun…This was a project that is close to my heart. We’ve had a life together for a few decades and what’s wonderful about it is that Gideon allowed me to convince him to share these (photographs); This was very private and personal to him and for those of us who love fashion I thought it was an important story to tell.”
Mastroianni, who was a photography collector before she met her husband, said “I felt it was time for him to tell his story; he had a special relationship with Avedon. He spent 16 years with him, There was a tremendous amount of respect for one another.” She declares the time to be a documentation of an essential period in fashion. “I can’t say enough about what an important time it was for fashion, art, pop, and culture. When they went to Japan Conde Nast had a lot of money. They went for six weeks chasing the snow with Varuschka. In those days Vogue came out twice a month and Gideon collected every one of them.”
Of her call to Neiman Marcus’ CEO, Mastroianni says, “Geoffrey was wonderful to work with every step of the way. He responded immediately to us about the project.” Partnership is important to these two deeply sensitive artists. “We’re loving what we do and we support one another. This book coming to life is standing up as an artist to your copyrights and saying you can’t bully me.”
About the book: Avedon: Behind the Scenes, 1964-1980 relates Lewin’s personal experiences working with Richard Avedon for 16 years. It is about the hard work, the intrigues, the energy, the mysteries, the humor, and the commitment to creating images that were larger-than-life and will last for generations. The book illuminates many details about preparations for Avedon’s major exhibitions, the masterclasses he was a part of, and many behind-the-scene stories working on fashion collections in Paris and in New York for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, photographing the world’s most famous personalities and most beautiful women: Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve, Cher, Jean Shrimpton, Veruschka, Twiggy, Rene Russo, Patti Hanson, and Lauren Hutton. Finally, this book opens the window to the lighter side of Richard Avedon, as well as his total dedication to the art of photography in his determination to leave a legacy unlike that of no other photographer. With more than 200 photographs Gideon Lewin: The Avedon Years, 1964-1980 is a singular and remarkable journey.