Richard Avedon's American West: what today's portrait photographers can still learn from this classic series

Two high-contrast portraits shown side-by-side: one of a man coated in dark grime and another of a shirtless man drenched in sweat, both set against a bright white background.

When the fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004) drove into the American West in 1979, he left behind the controlled perfection of his fashion work and the glamour of celebrity portraiture. What he found would produce one of the most studied portrait series in photographic history.

Now, as global art network Gagosian prepares to exhibit rare prints from In the American West at its Grosvenor Hill gallery, the series offers contemporary photographers a timely lesson in stripping portraiture back to its essentials.