Irving Penn: The Platinum Prints

June 19–October 2, 2005

Overview: 83 works in this first major retrospective of American photographer Irving Penn included examples of the major genres in which Penn worked, such as portraits, fashion studies, ethnographic subjects, and still lifes. 12 of Penn's Platinum Test Materials collages, consisting of test strips associated with the finished platinum prints, were also on view. The exhibition was selected from photographs the artist donated to the National Gallery in 2002.

The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Sarah Greenough, curator and head of the department of photographs, was the curator. The exhibition was sponsored by Merrill Lynch. It was supported by the Trellis Fund and The Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation.

Attendance: 85,816 (106 days)

Location: West Building, Ground Floor, Inner Tier Galleries G30 through G34

Catalogue: Irving Penn: Platinum Prints, by Sarah Greenough. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, in association with Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2005.

Web site: A feature included selected images from the exhibition, viewable in detail with a Web application that allows the user to zoom in and out. Information about the platinum printing process was also available online. Related Online Resources

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