Richard Avedon photographed Hollywood titans and influential figures, but the most powerful element in his images remains his trademark white background. “I’m looking for faces which surprise me,” he said. “I’m looking for a face that will hold the wall.” During W.W. II, Avedon worked in the photographic unit of the Marines, taking I.D. pictures of over 100,000 incoming soldiers. He had found his beat—portraiture—and over the course of six decades he transformed the portrait from static to dynamic. Working at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, and then becoming The New Yorker’s first staff photographer, Avedon joined commercial success with creative risk, and captured truth through mutual trust. A landmark documentary by Ron Howard—which includes interviews with Tina Brown, Larry Gagosian, Calvin Klein, and more—charts Avedon’s illustrious career and commitment to activism. —Maggie Turner