Renée, The new look of Dior, Place de la Concorde, Paris, August 1947
(1978)
Medium
gelatin silver photograph
Measurements
(45.7 × 36.5 cm)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2024
© The Estate of Richard Avedon
Gallery location
Gallery 12
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
In August 1947, American photographer Richard Avedon travelled to Paris on assignment for Harper’s Bazaar. Avedon created numerous images of models wearing ‘New look’ garments by French couturier Christian Dior from the recently debuted New Look collection. This iconic image was created during that summer and depicts the model Renée Breton wearing a Dior skirt suit. From a slightly elevated perspective, Avedon shoots Breton with her back to the camera as she gently twists, sending her skirt, with its excess of material, swinging in an undulating circle around her. The composition forms an energetic and graphic play of shapes, movement and forms.