Napalm Victim (#4), Saigon, S. Vietnam, April 29, 1971

These four portraits from the same series show Vietnamese victims of napalm, an incendiary substance used by the U.S. army during the Vietnam War. Photographed frontally against a neutral background, some of them stare into the camera while others hide their faces and disfigured limbs out of modesty.

Avedon went to Saigon in 1971 to document the war’s impact on civilians. At the time, the world was discovering the horror of napalm. The American photographer is better known for his fashion photographs and celebrity portraits, but the Napalm Victim series revealed a political side to his art.

These pictures from the series Napalm Victim, Saigon, S. Vietnam, April 29, 1971 will be exhibited for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the “Au-delà de la couleur” ("Beyond Color") show at the Couvent des Jacobins in Rennes in June 2021.