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‘IRVING PENN: VESSELS’ OPENS FEB. 21 AT PACE/MACGILL w/1 cut

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NEW YORK CITY — Pace/MacGill Gallery will present “Irving Penn: Vessels,” an exhibition of Penn’s newest body of work, February 21–March 29.

Made in 2007, the ten gelatin silver prints on view depict vessels that Penn and his wife, Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn, collected during their travels together throughout the world.

“Irving Penn: Vessels” is accompanied by a catalog of the same name, which includes an essay by Walter Liedtke, curator of European paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Penn (b 1917) has made still life photographs since the beginning of his career. In fact, one of them appeared as his first Vogue cover in October 1943. Now in his 91st year, these new images mark Penn’s return to familiar forms. The objects are more than mementos, they are longtime companions. In fact, several of the vessels in this exhibition have appeared in previous photographs made decades earlier.

Penn has concentrated on three areas throughout his career: fashion, portraiture and still life. From his ongoing, innovative collaboration with Vogue to the tougher, more elemental work investigating the visual intrigue of seemingly inconsequential debris such as garbage, bones and cigarette butts, Penn treats inanimate objects in a straightforward manner without embellishment or environmental distraction.

Over the course of his 70-year career in photography, Penn has expanded the creative limits of the medium by continually exploring new subjects and techniques.

Last year, The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City acquired 67 of Penn’s portraits that depict a range of cultural luminaries. An exhibition of these works is on view at the Morgan through April 13.

Pace/MacGill Gallery is at 32 East 57 Street. For information, www.pacemacgill.com or 212-759-7999.