John Lennon: 1940-1980. [Richard Avedon Signed Portrait of John Lennon].

Taken in London in August 1967, Richard Avedon’s studio portraits of the Beatles crystallized the group’s image on the international stage in the year leading up to its disbanding. The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein commissioned Avedon to photograph the band members and design a set of posters that would visually capture the new psychedelic direction of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour. Avedon took a number of shots of the group on August 11, 1967, four of which were later adorned with psychedelic effects. In 1968, four of the more reserved black and white images from the photographer’s session with the band were collaged to make a 14 × 40 inch fold-out banner that was simultaneously published in Germany’s Stern, Holland’s Varagids, England’s Daily Express, and America’s Look. Cooler in tone and considerably grayer, the mass-produced collage complements the more graphic versions of the portraits that Avedon would edition with Schneider/Erdman, Inc., roughly two decades later.