William Wegman: Being Human

William Wegman is a world-renowned American artist whose paintings, photographs, videos and drawings have been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally. Today he is perhaps best known for his collaborations with his longstanding muses, an ever-expanding cast of Weimaraners, for whom performing elaborate scenarios or merely posing demurely for their portraits comes as second nature. Curated in close collaboration with distinguished photography author William A. Ewing, William Wegman: Being Human is the most extensive collection of Wegman’s photographic work yet to be published. The book is organized thematically, presenting a wealth of exceptional work in such a way as to highlight the versatility of Wegman’s everinventive mind as he explores what it means to be human. From portraits of characters we so easily recognize – a suburban housewife, a famous actor, a nightclub singer, a golfer dressed in plaid – to imagery that toys with a wide range of visual languages, Wegman quotes freely from fashion photography, Cubism, colour theory, the tradition of the nude and the history of art itself. Essays and an interview explore Wegman’s approach to his subjects and their life in the studio.

With over 300 images made over the last four decades, many published here for the first time, William Wegman: Being Human will delight and engage both those who are new to Wegman’s work and those who have admired his art for many years.

Table of Contents

Introduction by William A. Ewing • Man’s Best Friend, William Wegman • William Wegman in conversation with William A. Ewing • People Like Us • Nudes • Cubists • Masquerade • Terrain • Zoo • Mode • Sit! • Pageant • Hallucinations • Designs • Stay!