For almost 25 years, William Wegman has been producing photographs with
the 20 x 24" Polaroid camera. This body of work began in 1979, when Wegman
- already well known in the art world for his wry video and conceptual
photographic work - was invited by Polaroid to try out this unusual camera.
When Wegman and his dog, Man Ray, travelled to Boston to use the camera
for the first time, a remarkable collaboration was launched. After Man
Ray died in 1982, Wegman continued his exploration of the medium with non-canine
subjects. In the late 1980s, he began to work with the dog Fay Ray and
an expanding universe of her progeny. William Wegman captures his canine
subjects in a variety of poses and guises. This volume gathers together
a collection of his work and includes a candid essay by the artist exploring
his experiences with the large-format camera and his models.
Dogs by Catherine Johnson, William Wegman
Hardcover from Phaidon Press Inc. ISBN: 0714848034
This charming new title is a collection of over 450 vintage photographs
of dogs in all kinds of settings: under the Christmas table and in the
sea; posing for a family portrait and being squeezed tightly by an over-enthusiastic
toddler; a Chihuahua in a tea cup and a Great Dane standing as tall as
its young owner. DOGS is an essential book for dog and animal lovers, presenting
amateur, anonymous photographs of dogs from the turn of the century to
the early 1950s in ordinary and extraordinary settings. Johnson's collection
of photographs, in its unpretentious attitude and days-gone-by aesthetic,
presents a snapshot of family life and shows man's timeless relationship
with his "best friend."
Fay by William Wegman
Hardcover from Hyperion ISBN: 0786864869
With family photos, video and film stills, and studio photos never before
published, Fay captures the collaborative spirit and amazing artistic outpouring
of Wegman and his extraordinary companion. Their relationship spanned ten
years during which time Fay became as well known to the art world as her
canine predecessor, Man Ray. Motherhood brought Fay new concerns and Wegman
a wealth of new characters. In 1989 she was joined in the studio by three
of her puppies. What followed was a flowering of dramatic roles for Fay
and her offspring in a wide range of books and videos for children.
To a dog owner, each canine's personality is as uniquely defined as
a human's. William Wegman knows this as well as or better than anyone.
An artist best known for his photos of Weimaraner dogs, Wegman's work in
the early '80s centered on his dog Man Ray. As Fay begins, Man Ray
has died, and Wegman is resistant to the idea of replacing the irreplaceable
Man Ray, named the Village Voice's "Man of the Year" in 1982.
When a fan of the artist meets him a few years later and invites him
to choose a puppy from a litter of prize Weimaraners, Wegman is introduced
to 6-month-old Fay, who immediately bewitches him with "the eyes of a jungle
cat." Thus begins the story of Wegman's connection with the charming, shy,
elegant Fay. Initially reluctant to feature her in his work, Wegman is
content just to have a pet. But as he watches Fay's character develop into
something quite different from Man Ray's, he finally decides to capture
her personality in a photo shoot... then another... and another... until
the two have developed a unique relationship on camera as well as off.
The book contains many striking photographs of Fay in anthropomorphic
poses, as well as in several dresses and wigs--the result is sometimes
humorous, sometimes seductive, but always hauntingly human and animal at
the same time. Later photos feature Fay's pups Batty, Crooky, and Chundo
as well. Pictures from a London Times photo spread feature the velvety
dogs draped in diamond jewelry; photos from a Cinderella video incorporate
the family into the cast, including Fay as the wicked stepmother and the
fairy godmother; and stills from a Hardy Boys-type movie star (who else?)
the Weimaraners.
Wegman and Fay's relationship is obviously an involved one--not just
between a man and his dog, but an artist and his subject. And it is one
that is lovingly captured in Fay's photos and story: here is a dog
with a depth of personality equal to a human's, and a dignity and vulnerability
expertly caught on film by one of our most original artists.--Kris Law
William Wegman has been a force in the art world for 25 years, but this
book is the first complete retrospective of his work in four mediums. A
lively interview with the artist and essays by curators and critics offer
fresh insights and information. "Great clarity and wit."--The Los Angeles
Times. 230 illustrations.
William
Wegman: Funney/Strange by Joan Simon, William Wegman
Paperback from Yale University Press ISBN: 0300114443 This fascinating book reveals
the full range of William Wegman's art. Beloved by the general public for
signature photographs of his troupe of Weimaraners, Wegman is also an immensely
important figure in the contemporary art world.A pioneer video-maker, conceptualist,
performer, photographer, painter, draftsman, and writer, Wegman moves fluidly
among various media: from conceptual works to commissioned magazine shots;
from videos shown in museums to television segments made for Sesame Street
and Saturday Night Live; from artist's books parodying nineteenth-century
naturalist studies to children's books revealing tongue-in-cheek portraits
of town and country life; from photographic landscapes" employing his canine
muses to his most recent cycle of landscapes combining found scenic souvenir
postcards with drawing, collage, and painting. Underlying all his creations
is the light humor of funny" mediating the darker human comedy of strange."
Speaking to the absurdities of daily life, Wegman's work is universally
appealing.William Wegman: Funney Strange is illustrated with some
250 images. It is the first retrospective volume to consider the artist's
entire career from the 1960s to the 2000s and is an essential book for
any fan of Wegman's work.(20070731)
Twenty 5 x 7 in. cards (four cards each of five images, Hansel and
Gretel, Lucia di Lammermoor, Macbeth, La Fille du Regiment, and Iphigenie
en Tauride) with envelopes in an imprinted box.
Published to accompany a major travelling exhibition, this book presents
a collection of eerily anthropomorphic photographs by William Wegman. They
feature clothes by Helmut Lang, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen,
Issey Miyake and others deing modelled by dogs.
What
Do You Do? by William Wegman
Reading level: Baby-Preschool Hardcover - 18 pages Board edition (April )
William
Wegman's Pups by William Wegman
Reading level: Baby-Preschool Hardcover - 18 pages Board edition (April )
Fay by William Wegman
To a dog owner, each canine's personality is as uniquely defined as
a human's. William Wegman knows this as well as or better than anyone.
An artist best known for his photos of Weimaraner dogs, Wegman's work in
the early '80s centered on his dog Man Ray. As Fay begins, Man Ray has
died, and Wegman is resistant to the idea of replacing the irreplaceable
Man Ray, named the Village Voice's "Man of the Year" in 1982.
When a fan of the artist meets him a few years later and invites him
to choose a puppy from a litter of prize Weimaraners, Wegman is introduced
to 6-month-old Fay, who immediately bewitches him with "the eyes of a jungle
cat." Thus begins the story of Wegman's connection with the charming, shy,
elegant Fay. Initially reluctant to feature her in his work, Wegman is
content just to have a pet. But as he watches Fay's character develop into
something quite different from Man Ray's, he finally decides to capture
her personality in a photo shoot... then another... and another... until
the two have developed a unique relationship on camera as well as off.
The book contains many striking photographs of Fay in anthropomorphic
poses, as well as in several dresses and wigs--the result is sometimes
humorous, sometimes seductive, but always hauntingly human and animal at
the same time. Later photos feature Fay's pups Batty, Crooky, and Chundo
as well. Pictures from a London Times photo spread feature the velvety
dogs draped in diamond jewelry; photos from a Cinderella video incorporate
the family into the cast, including Fay as the wicked stepmother and the
fairy godmother; and stills from a Hardy Boys-type movie star (who else?)
the Weimaraners.
Wegman and Fay's relationship is obviously an involved one--not just
between a man and his dog, but an artist and his subject. And it is one
that is lovingly captured in Fay's photos and story: here is a dog with
a depth of personality equal to a human's, and a dignity and vulnerability
expertly caught on film by one of our most original artists.--Kris Law
- Amazon.com Hardcover - 128 pages Hyperion; ISBN: 0786864869
