Penn, Irving. Irving Penn. Photographs in Platinum Metals – Images 1947–1975. Marlborough, September 9-October 11, 1977.

Marlborough Gallery, 1977. Texts by Irving Penn, Henry Geldzahler; John Szarkowski; and Alexander Liberman, the last an excerpt from his essay in Moments Preserved (1960). Wraps, stapled, good with two crimps and signs of use along spine.  Exhibition list of 126 images, some of which are reproduced in this catalog. 32 pages.  Not issued with ISBN number.  Summary:

The catalogue was produced to accompany the Marlborough Gallery exhibition Irving Penn: Photographs in Platinum Metals – Images 1947–1975, which presented a focused selection of Penn’s platinum and platinum-palladium prints created over nearly three decades. The book (about 32 pages) includes a prefatory note by Irving Penn himself along with additional texts by prominent photography figures such as Henry Geldzahler and John Szarkowski, offering critical context and insight into Penn’s artistic choices and the significance of the platinum process in his work.

Printed throughout with black-and-white reproductions of the exhibited photographs, the catalogue showcases examples of Penn’s experiments with the platinum metals process, a medium he favored for its rich tonal range, depth, and subtle surface qualities. The images selected span from 1947 through 1975 and reflect the range of Penn’s subjects—still lifes, portraits, and found objects—rendered with technical mastery and formal precision that distinguished his fine art prints from his well-known commercial fashion work.

A checklist of works is included at the end of the catalogue, documenting the prints shown in the exhibition, and the accompanying essays help articulate the aesthetic and technical considerations behind Penn’s use of platinum metals—a technique that became a defining feature of his later artistic practice.

Overall, the catalogue serves both as an illustrated record of the exhibition and as a concise interpretive guide, situating the featured platinum prints within Penn’s broader photographic oeuvre and highlighting the significance of his printmaking innovations.