A collection of Richard Avedon's portraits from the series «In the American West» is currently on display at the Fundación Mapfre in Madrid.
The exhibition highlights a pivotal shift in Avedon's career, where he moved away from celebrity and fashion photography to document the raw reality of the American working class. By focusing on those often ignored by society, the work challenges traditional perceptions of the U.S. landscape and its people.
Avedon spent five summers over a five-year period [1] traveling through states including Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California [2]. During this time, he captured images of more than 200 people [3], including laborers and drifters. The project was conducted between 1979 and 1984 [4].
"My subjects are people that nobody looks at. However, they are the ones who really tell the story of America," Avedon said [5].
Curator María Fernández said that Avedon dedicated every summer for five years to traveling through the American West to portrait the U.S. working class [6]. The stark contrast between these images and his previous high-fashion work is a central theme of the collection.
Art critic Javier Gómez said the project shows the rawness and dignity of those living on the margins of society [7]. The portraits aim to provide a more human and less sanitized version of the country.
The exhibition at the Fundación Mapfre remains open to the public until Aug. 30, 2026 [8].
“"My subjects are people that nobody looks at. However, they are the ones who really tell the story of America."”
This retrospective underscores the evolution of documentary photography in the late 20th century. By applying the formal precision of fashion portraiture to marginalized subjects, Avedon forced a confrontation between the viewer and the socioeconomic realities of the American West, bridging the gap between high art and social commentary.
