Coming Into Fashion: A Century of Photography at Condé Nast

Preview by Fern Logue | 08 Jun 2013

Condé Nast was the publisher that discovered and launched some of the leading names in fashion photography. His artistic vision and ability to spot talent, combined with the work of the first great American photographer Edward Steichen, produced what were probably the first fashion photographs in 1911. The exhibition celebrates the man, and the continued tradition of the publishing house – the discovery and promotion of new talent.

Coming into Fashion allows a unique opportunity to see some of the first major works of the most famous and influential photographers of both the 20th and 21st centuries. The fascinating exhibition has been curated from the Condé Nast archives in New York, London, Paris and Milan and is the first project of its scale showcasing such a large selection of rare photographs, original covers and magazines; by over eighty eminent artists of the last one hundred years including Cecil Beaton, Guy Bourdin, John Rawlings, Helmut Newton, Edward Steichen, David Bailey and Mario Testino all in one show.

No other medium so perfectly captures the spirit of the age. Those included in the exhibition have produced images that have transcended the initial aim of displaying haute couture on the pages of fashion magazines and have become iconic in their own right. This must-see collection of beautiful and provocative images, giving a rare insight into an intriguing and inimitable industry.

Coming into Fashion: A Century of Photography at Condé Nast, City Art Centre, Edinburgh, 15 Jun-8 Sep

Coming into Fashion: A Century of Photography at Condé Nast, 15 Jun-8 Sep, £5 (£3.50)

City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1DE, 0131 529 3993

http://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/comingintofashion