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This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery. Please follow the links below for related online resources or visit our current exhibitions schedule.
![Image: Irving Penn, American, born 1917
Platinum Test Materials 1/17, 1989
collage of platinum/palladium prints
Gift of Irving Penn
National Gallery of Art, Washington](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080917224741im_/http://www.nga.gov/images/decor/penninfo.jpg)
Penn's gift to the Gallery, and the organization of the exhibition, is based on a series of 17 photographic collages entitled Platinum Test Materials. A meticulous craftsman, Penn has experimented extensively to make prints with remarkably subtle, rich tonal ranges and luxurious textures. Each of the Platinum Test Materials consists of six to ten randomly arranged test strips that Penn made prior to creating his finished platinum prints. The corresponding finished prints make up the rest of the exhibition. With their odd juxtapositions and rough quality, the Platinum Test Materials provide a provocative new way to approach Penn's work.
Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Sponsor: Sponsored by Merrill Lynch.
The exhibition is also supported by the Trellis Fund and The Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation.