Shivangi Sinha
Netflix’s ‘Avedon’ paints a picture of the extraordinary and brilliant life of photographer Richard Avedon. Among the many people who crossed paths with him and were featured in the documentary, some of the most insightful accounts came from John Avedon, Richard’s only son. He spoke about his father’s personal life and what it meant to grow up in a house filled with such creative and artistic brilliance. His perspective offered a more intimate glimpse into the man behind the celebrated photographer, alongside his remarkable professional achievements.
John Avedon Didn’t Always Have an Easy Relationship With His Father
John Avedon was born in 1952 to Richard Avedon and his wife, Evelyn Franklin. He was the only son of the celebrated photographer. In the documentary, John spoke about how his father had a complicated relationship with his own father and how he tried to change things when it came to raising his own son. John remembered his mother as a more withdrawn and shy person, while the energy of their household was largely defined by his father. He said he knew Richard wanted to be a good father to him, especially because he had not enjoyed the same kind of relationship with his own father.
John recalled finding it strange that Richard never reprimanded him for his schoolwork or for getting low marks, as those were the very things that had defined his own childhood. At the same time, Richard was a busy man, deeply enchanted and consumed by his work. One of John’s earliest memories was of being photographed by his father on Fire Island, lying in a bed of flowers. Somehow, he felt that he was getting in the way. John added that he developed a dislike for photographers, believing that they were always manipulating other people, a feeling that only grew stronger over time.
In one of the interviews featured in the documentary, Richard himself acknowledged that there was something about father-son relationships that never quite gets resolved. Although he loved his son, he admitted that the friendship he had hoped to build with him had never taken root. Speaking about his father, John also reflected on the different stages of Richard’s career and what he had come to understand about his work. He said that one of Richard’s greatest themes was the contrast between alienation and isolation. Looking back, John could see that his father had been trying to find himself in other people’s faces, and that this search had led him to create some of his most honest and striking work.
John Avedon is a Celebrated Author With Many Publications Today
John Avedon attended Sarah Lawrence College, where he pursued his education before establishing himself as a writer and journalist. His interest in writing was evident from an early age. In a 1994 PBS interview, he recalled an occasion when his father took him to meet a writer and introduced him as someone who wanted to become a writer himself. John went on to build a career in journalism, writing for the overseas edition of Newsweek. His work also appeared in several prominent publications, including GEO, Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, Maclean’s and Parade. Alongside his journalism, he developed a particular interest in Tibet and its political and cultural history.
In 1980, John published ‘An Interview with the Dalai Lama,’ followed in 1982 by a contribution to ‘From Liberation to Liberalization,’ a publication issued by the Dalai Lama’s Information Office in Dharamsala, India. In 1984, John published ‘In Exile from the Land of Snows: The Definitive Account of the Dalai Lama and Tibet Since the Chinese Conquest.’ Drawing on his research, travels and work with the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, the book examined Tibet’s history following the Chinese conquest and became an important contribution to the modern Tibet movement.
In 1987, he wrote ‘Tibet Today: Current Conditions and Prospects for the U.S. Tibet Committee.’ His other credited works include ‘Tibet – Traum oder Trauma?,’ ‘The Buddha’s Art of Healing: Tibetan Paintings Rediscovered’ from 1988, ‘Wings for the Mad Flight: In Pursuit of Understanding the Brain,’ and ‘Testimony of the Dalai Lama and Tibet Half a Century – Exile from Countries of Snow.’ A revised edition of ‘In Exile from the Land of Snows,’ featuring an extensive interview with the Dalai Lama, appeared in 1998. In 2014, Avedon also appeared in the documentary ‘Monk with a Camera,’ which followed Nicholas Vreeland, a former assistant to Richard Avedon who became a Tibetan Buddhist monk. His work has had quite an impact on the Tibetan cause and brought it into mainstream Western political consciousness.
John Avedon is a Proud Father to Four Talented Kids
John Avedon has largely kept his personal life private, sharing far less about himself than he has about his father. He was previously married to Elizabeth Avedon, who went on to establish herself as a curator and an influential figure in the photography world. In 1990, he married Maura Moynihan, daughter of US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Richard Avedon reportedly celebrated the occasion by hosting a lavish party for his son and new daughter-in-law. John and Maura went on to have a son, Michael Avedon, who followed in the family’s footsteps and became a photographer. Michael has built a career of his own, working with leading fashion and luxury brands while developing his portrait photography.
John is also the father of three other children, Caroline, Matthew and William, with his wife Laura Avedon. His relationship with his children appears to be particularly important to him, and Caroline has spoken warmly about how fortunate she feels to have him in her life. Her words offer a glimpse into the close bond they share and the care John has put into being a father. He is now based in New York City with his family while maintaining a largely private life.
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