IRVING PENN

New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1984. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. Large 4to. Inscribed by Irving Penn "For old friend Bob / with warmest / greetings" (signed) "P." Below the inscription Penn has drawn a circle which he signed in the middle, at the bottom of the circle he has written "N.Y. 1984." From the library of Peter Schub (1926-2021) who had a long and distinquished career as a revered photography agent. He negotiated for some of the most prominent photographers of the 20th century including Penn, Peter Beard, and Anthony Armstrong Jones. Published in conjuction with an exhibition at MOMA, this is the first comprehensive retrospective of Penn's work. The essay by Szarkowski follows a brilliant career, from its art-school beginnings to the provocative still lifes of recent years, photographs of cigarette butts and street detritus-works of eloquence and classical rectitude, made from the least consequential of subject matter. 216 pages, 156 plates (21 in color) with 35 reference illustrations (7 in color).