Ron Howard tells Page Six that what surprised him most about acclaimed photographer Richard Avedon is that he was a lousy student.
“It was kind of interesting to me that he was such a terrible student, had been a merchant marine, and then wound up becoming this remarkable figure in the fashion world,” the Oscar-winning director told us at a special screening of his new Netflix documentary “Avedon,” which is now streaming.
Though not his initial plan, Howard pivoted to focus on the legendary lensman, who died in 2004 at 81.
“I was just impressed by him and found him so charismatic and entertaining and even courageous,” the filmmaker said of Avedon.
Howard expounded on the photog’s “courage,” explaining that “he was so commercially successful, was afforded so many opportunities, and yet devoted so much of his time to career risks by pursuing issues that were important to him and the nation at that time.”
“Civil rights, Vietnam, the institutional bigotry — he began to use his camera to try to cover and reveal hypocrisy among leadership,” he added.
Howard shared that he was most “surprised” by Avedon’s “American West” project.
The project, commissioned by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, saw the photographer crisscrossing 17 states to photograph subjects with his large-format view camera. Instead of celebrities, he chose to highlight everyday people, many of whom were dealing with hardship.
“Thousands of miles from New York, which was the epicenter of his power and his productivity, and yet he felt more compelled to go out there and stretch his talent and take some risks. I admire that,” Howard said.
During his more than 50-year-long career, Avedon photographed cultural figures like Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles, Audrey Hepburn, and Jackie and John F. Kennedy. He later pivoted to hard news, photographing the Chicago Seven and traveling to Saigon to document the horrific impact of the Vietnam War. He also shot campaigns for brands like Versace and Calvin Klein — most famously the Brooke Shields jeans commercials.
Fred Astaire’s character in the 1957 film “Funny Face” was loosely based on Avedon, who worked on the movie as a visual consultant.
Howard’s documentary includes interviews with Avedon’s son, John, models Lauren Hutton and Twiggy, designer Calvin Klein, and journalist Tina Brown.
After the screening at the Paris Theatre, the crowd walked over just a few steps to Bergdorf Goodman. Guests included Vogue’s Chloe Malle, designer Vera Wang, journalist Amy Fine Collins and Avedon’s grandson, Michael, who is also a photographer.
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