While most of Penn’s work was of people - portraits, fashion, and the like - his still life images are just as well composed and well regarded. The images grew out of experiments with printing that Penn began when Vogue’s reproductions of his photos were not meeting his expectations. In the process, Penn created some of his most famous works and revolutionised the ways in which magazines and publications reproduced images in the pre-digital age. These methods were in use until digital printing became cheap and of high enough quality in the 90’s.
Penn kept up an intense work schedule for his entire life, photographing into his 90’s.
He passed away at 92 in New York City.
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