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The International Center of Photography (ICP) has designated 2009 as their year of fashion, staging half a dozen exhibitions — historical, contemporary, haute couture, and antifashion. Three shows debut this month, the first being a paean to Edward Steichens legendary Condé Nast years in the 1920s-’30s, full of devastatingly sumptuous portraits of actors and models. Moving up to our current era, "Weird Beauty: Fashion Photography Now" looks at how photographers such as Steven Meisel, Cindy Sherman, and Paolo Roversi draw from graphic design, youth culture, and digital media to make their memorable jolie laide images. And "This Is Not a Fashion Photograph," curated by Vince Aletti, reflects on how documentary and street photography (by such artists as Lisette Model, Danny Lyon, and Weegee) are influencing contemporary fashion photographers.

icp.org

"Year of Fashion" originally appeared in the February 2009 issue of Modern Painters. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Modern Painters' February 2009 Table of Contents.