The Amon Carter Museum Celebrates 40 Years of Richard Avedon’s In the American West Exhibit With New Behind-the-Scenes Ephemera

In 1979, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art commissioned fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon to create a portrait of the American West. For the next five summers, he traveled to 17 states and 189 towns across the American West and into Canada, where he conducted 752 sittings of people he met throughout his travels. The portraits were of working-class people, all pictured against a white backdrop to remove visual markers of place and focus instead on the individuality of each subject. The resulting exhibition in 1985, In the American West, is regarded as one of the most important and influential series of the 20th century and continues to challenge the stereotypes of the West.

“In addition to being an important project for Avedon, In the American West was also an incredible achievement for the Carter,” says María Beatriz H. Carrión, Assistant Curator of Photographs and the organizing curator of Richard Avedon at the Carter.

“The Museum worked really hard to support Avedon, both in terms of fundraising and exhibition logistics, in 1985. Thus, in addition to showing Avedon’s artistry, the exhibition of 1985 also helped cement the role of the Carter in the field of American art.”

This month, the Carter debuted Richard Avedon at the Carter, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of In the American West, with 40 of Avedon’s portraits alongside archival photographs taken by Dallas-based artist Laura Wilson, who accompanied Avedon on his travels for In the American West. Also included are behind-the-scenes mementos including the commission contract with Avedon, letters exchanged between the artist and the Carter, copies of signed photo releases by the sitters, Avedon’s travel log, as well as plans for the inaugural exhibition, guest lists, and press coverage from the opening. The included archival photos by Laura Wilson document Avedon’s creative process during photograph production, and all archival materials give a deeper look at what it’s like to work alongside an artist.

Carrión notes that visitors should not miss the research space in the center of the gallery, where visitors can see archival materials and ephemera that the Museum has not displayed before and that are hard to access, even for researchers.

“Viewers may enjoy seeing a picture of Avedon at Joe T. Garcia’s, where the opening reception took place in 1985, or encountering a polite exchange between the Carter’s director and a museum visitor,” she tells PaperCity.

Richard Avedon at the Carter is on view through August 10, 2025. The Leo Potishman Foundation provides major support for the exhibition, and the Carter will celebrate it during the Museum’s free Second Thursdays event on June 12 from 5 pm to 8 pm. For more information and to RSVP, visit cartermuseum.org/events.