Go behind-the-scenes of the 2002 installation of Richard Avedon’s large-scale The Mission Council, Saigon, South Vietnam (1971), featured in Richard Avedon: Portraits at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2002.
In this striking work, Avedon photographed the U.S. generals, ambassadors, and policy experts—collectively known as the Mission Council—who directed the war in Vietnam. Using a plain white background, he emphasized the stark presence of each figure. One critic later described the series as “a terrifying picture of business as usual.”
Richard Avedon (American, 1923–2004). The Mission Council, Saigon, South Vietnam, 1971. Gelatin silver prints, 10 ft. 1/4 in. x 32 ft. 6 3/4 in. (305.3 x 992.4 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of the artist, 2002 (2002.379.2a–e) © Richard Avedon
Mission Council consists of five large-format gelatin silver prints, arranged side by side to form a panoramic composition. Each section measures approximately 10 ft long and 6 ft wide and has a textile backing. Richard Avedon favored displaying the work without frames or glazing, hanging freely on the wall.
To realize Avedon’s vision while ensuring the prints were securely installed, Jed Bark of Bark Frameworks developed a specialized mounting technique using a fabric hinge attached to the textile backed photograph which then wrapped around a Plexiglas cleat and secured with a Velcro strip. The hinge and cleat were slipped into a second plexiglas cleat screwed to the wall. The following diagrams, created by Martín Salazar, illustrate the attachment methods used in this innovative mounting system.
Left: A hinge was secured to the top edge of the textile backing using BEVA film, with a piece of Velcro attached to the end of the hinge. Right: The hinge was secured to a wall-mounted cleat using the Velcro attachment.
This video was produced by The Met in association with the exhibition Richard Avedon: Portraits, on view at The Met Fifth Avenue, September 26, 2002 through January 5, 2003, and features Richard Avedon, Maria Hambourg, Mia Fineman, Nora Kennedy, Nancy Reinhold, Predrag Dimitrijevic, Daymion Mardel, Dirk Kikstra, and Michael Wright.
