Irving Penn exhibition celebrates 20th-Century visual culture

In a highly anticipated exhibition that promises to recalibrate our understanding of photographic art, the MOP Foundation in Spain is set to present "Irving Penn: Centennial" - a comprehensive retrospective from one of the twentieth century's most iconic photographers.

Spanning 175 of the photographer’s works, the exhibition - opening on 23 November 2024 in A Coruña, Galicia - offers an unprecedented exploration of Penn's visual philosophy. From intimate celebrity portraits to nuanced studies of labourers and street scenes, the collection reveals a photographer who transcended conventional artistic boundaries.

"In Penn's hands, the everyday becomes extraordinary, revealing the profound beauty in simplicity," says Marta Ortega Pérez, President of the MOP Foundation. Her observation captures the essence of Penn's revolutionary approach to image-making - a methodology that transformed photography from commercial practice to high art.

Penn's oeuvre represents a critical intersection of fashion, portraiture, and anthropological documentation. His lens captured not just the surface of his subjects, but their essential humanity. Iconic figures like Marlene Dietrich and Audrey Hepburn share visual space with anonymous street vendors and Peruvian artisans, each rendered with the same dignified, penetrating gaze.

Penn, who was Vogue magazine's preeminent photographer, occupied a unique position at the confluence of artistic and commercial visual culture. His work with designers like Gianni Versace and Yves Saint Laurent was more than fashion photography - it was a complex dialogue about identity, aspiration, and cultural transformation.

The exhibition's significance extends beyond mere retrospective. It represents a pivotal moment in reassessing photography's role in documenting 20th-century cultural evolution. Penn's approach - treating each image as a considered artistic composition - challenged prevailing notions of photographic practice.

"Penn's enduring legacy lies in the ability of his photographs to excite our imagination every time we see them," Ortega Pérez notes - a statement that resonates with the exhibition's broader curatorial vision.

"Irving Penn: Centennial" runs until 1 May 2025.