In a time of glamourized celebrity personas and pristine, unchanging faces, Richard Avedon’s work is a breath of fresh air. The American fashion photographer and portraitist treasured the honest representation of aging in those he photographed. The exhibit Immortal–Portraits of Aging at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts features his successful capture of the natural beauty of his subjects. By shooting in black and white, Avedon highlighted wrinkles, reflection in the eyes, and human imperfections, placing subjects face-to-face with viewers.

Avedon produced a diverse array of portraits, including notable directors, artists, singers, and politicians—some of the most well-known being Ronald Reagan, Patti Smith, and Willem de Kooning. Today, celebrities are constantly altering their appearances to look more youthful. Whether through plastic surgery or Instagram filters, audiences barely get to see those who have created impactful art as their true selves. Avedon, however, captured his celebrity subjects with no filters and no glamorous poses, just their bare selves. In doing so, his work continues to challenge traditional beauty expectations, revealing that aging is a beautiful blessing, not a curse.

The exhibit also includes nine photographs of his father, Jacob Israel Avedon, as he battled liver cancer between 1969 and 1973. Avedon captured the final portrait only days before his father’s death. Through these images, viewers sense the close relationship the two men shared through Jacob’s natural positioning in the photos. These images expose the ephemerality of life; no matter who we are, time will take us all in the end. The photos portray the final moments between a father and a son, immortalizing the temporary, countering the loss of a loved one with an eternal appreciation for their life.

Richard’s photographs depict love, sadness, and most prominently, satisfaction. He successfully conveys how legacies live on into old age, and how the spirit his subjects held in their craft persists. A prominent portrait in this exhibit is that of actor Gloria Swanson at age 81. Swanson is shown with a large smile on her face, running her hands through her hair, wearing glamorous red lipstick and eye shadow. She was known throughout her career for her glamour, and this image illustrates how she continues to uphold her style beyond her acting years.

Another photo in this exhibit is of William Casby, a man born into slavery, taken in 1963. True to style, the photograph is a close-up and reveals many of Casby’s facial features. Avedon, including such a highly detailed photograph of Casby, reminds us that historical atrocities such as American slavery are not so distant a past. In reality, it was so recent that high-resolution photographs of survivors are something we can view today. Immortal–Portraits of Aging not only shows the beauty of aging, but also puts into perspective moments in history.

Another prominent theme of this exhibit is what love looks like as you age. A photograph of pediatrician Benjamin Spock and his wife Jane Cheney Spock kissing depicts how love can transform from youthful joy into something deeper and more passionate. The photograph illustrates the intimacy that has grown between two people who are deeply familiar and comfortable with each other.

Immortal–Portraits of Aging is a love letter to continuous change throughout human life. It illustrates both the beauty and sadness that come with aging, teaching us to appreciate our lives and embrace the changes we will undergo as we continue to live.

Immortal–Portraits of Aging runs at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts from Feb. 12, 2026-Aug. 9, 2026