An image by Irving Penn, once you’ve seen it, is impossible to forget. In his 70 years as a photographer of beautiful women, flowers, and a wide range of startling still-life objects—including crumpled cigarette butts, an old shoe, and a totemic coffee pot—he went far beyond his early reputation as a fashion photographer, becoming one of the 20th century’s most memorable artists.

“Irving Penn was an artist of uncommon virtuosity and grace, and one of the finest picture-makers and photographic technicians in the medium’s now 185-year history,” says Jeff Rosenheim, curator in charge of photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “From the start, Penn knew what he wanted from the camera and how to use it and some photographic materials to transform the world into a better, more interestin

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