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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/3709022.stm
US photography icon Avedon dies
Richard Avedon, one of the most celebrated photographers of the 20th Century, has died at the age of 81.
Avedon helped create the era of supermodels with sensuous photographs of fashion icons such as Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.
And his portrait work, often stark, unflattering black-and-white images of the stars, was regarded as setting a new level in photographic art.
Avedon died in Texas where he was working for the New Yorker magazine.
He worked first for Harper's Bazaar and later for Vogue, producing pictures that were ground-breaking and credited with redefining the concept of fashion photography, moving from rigid poses to more candid, less formal representations.
"He's the most wonderful man in the business because he realises that models are not just coat hangers," model Suzy Parker said of him.
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