Richard Lippold, NY

1952

Richard Lippold, NY, 1952. Irving Penn (American, 1917–2009). Gelatin silver print, 10 unique mounted contacts; paper: 19.1 x 27.9 cm (7 1/2 x 11 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift from the Collection of Mark Schwartz + Bettina Katz 2020.59 © The Irving Penn Foundation One of Vogue’s top photographers, Irving Penn was known for his arresting portraits of celebrities. He would often expose up to 10 rolls of film, or 120 frames, to make a single portrait. They were first printed as contact sheets—pieces of photographic paper containing positive prints the same size as the negatives—so that the artist could select the ones to be enlarged. Occasionally, Penn would give the contact sheets as gifts once the final image was selected. American sculptor Richard Lippold created delicate wire constructions of brass, nickel, gold and silver, one of which was commissioned for the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.