Wegman World

Looking Back: Fay at Pace

William Wegman, Fay / Ruscha, 1987

CRITICS' CHOICES; Photography

By Andy Grundberg
Published: December 27, 1987

The New York Times

 Humor and art are not always allies, especially when it comes to photographs of dogs. But William Wegman's new color pictures at Pace/ MacGill Gallery (11 East 57th Street, through Jan. 16) manage to make us laugh and think at the same time. In ''Hatched,'' for example, we see the artist's new pet Weimaraner, Fay Ray, wrapped in red-faced aluminum foil, looking somewhat like a Christmas gift and somewhat like a half-opened bonbon. In other large-format Polaroids we see Fay Ray wearing sneakers, roller skates, false eyelashes and a wig.

Read the rest of the article here.

Looking Back: A Return to Painting

William Wegman, Dock Scene, 1986

 

ART: WILLIAM WEGMAN, PHOTOGRAPHER AS PAINTER

By VIVIEN RAYNOR
Published: January 10, 1986
NEW YORK TIMES

IT'S not surprising that William Wegman should have majored in painting or that he began his career in the mid-1960's producing shaped canvases a la Frank Stella. There have been plenty of photographers who started out as plain old artists (Laszlo Moholy-Nagy is one stirring example) and even more videoists. What is remarkable is that Wegman, having made his reputation with cameras, should, after some 25 years, suddenly return to painting - not abstractions, but small figurative works and at the rate of about two a day.

Read the rest of the article here.

Looking Back: Wegman World

William Wegman, Pat, 1997

AT HOME WITH: WILLIAM WEGMAN; A Family That Goes On 8 Feet and 8 Paws

By JULIE V. IOVINE
Published: June 10, 1999

THE NEW YORK TIMES

 THOSE citronella eyes, set in a velvety gray pelt, stare out from every corner of the Wegman studio, a sprawling converted nursery school in Chelsea. It is also the family home of William Wegman, the conceptual artist and dog-theme merchandiser, whose fans respond to his outpouring of videos, PBS programs, books, commercials, posters and kitchen magnets as if answering the siren call of a high-pitched dog whistle. He is just now finishing a memoir (to be published Oct. 1) of life with Fay Ray, one of the Weimaraners who inspired him.

Read the rest of the article here.

"No one stands a chance against Bobbin."

Werk!: The Armitage Gone Variety show, which WW and Bobbin have a small dance piece in, was reviewed in the NY Times yesterday. Here's what Gia Kourlas had to say about Bobbin's performance:

"Though on the slight end of Ms. Armitage’s creative spectrum, like any sideshow attraction this program has its draws, namely in “Daydream,” a work she choreographed for Bobbin, one of Mr. Wegman’s dogs. This stoic Weimaraner is placed on a platform center stage with his body covered so that it appears to be supported by stationary legs. From behind, arms pop out; dancers join him for duets (first tap and then ballet). With an occasional yawn, his impassive expression overshadows everyone and everything on the stage. Voguers? Krumpers? No one stands a chance against Bobbin."

Read the rest of the article here.

Werk!: The Armitage Gone Variety Show

William Wegman has colloborated with choreographer Karole Armitage to create a performance for "Werk!: The Armitage Gone Variety Show" which opens this week. Read more about the show on Hyperallergic.

Show and ticket information can be found here.

In the Studio...

  We have special visitors today in the studio. Visit WW on facebook to find out who!

Bloglove: WW on The New Yorker's Back Issue

The New Yorker has featured WW online for a second time this month, this time as part of their Back Issue blog. Check out the post here.

William Wegman, Untitled, 1999
Batty as Eustace Tilly's butterfly 

From WW: National Geographic

Notice anything familiar about the cover of this month's issue of National Geographic? (Hint: it features someone who has appeared on this blog.) 

This past October, WW spent several days in the studio with Penny, Flo, Candy and Bobbin, working to get just the right shot. He reflects on the experience in this video (and if you haven't seen the cover yet, you will here):

 

Pacific Standard Time

Have you heard about Pacific Standard Time? It is a collaboration between museums, galleries and other institutions in southern California celebrating the birth of L.A. art. 

  William Wegman, Artist, 1971

WW created a large body of work in the early 70's in and around L.A., and is included in several PST exhibitions. Here is a list of where you can see his work as part of this fantastic series:

Orange County Museum of Art, October 8 - January 22, 2012

“State of Mind: New California Art Circa 1970,” Orange County Museum of Art. Traveling to Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, February 29 - June 17, 2012 

Pomona College Museum of Art, December 3 - February 18, 2012 

“It Happened at Pomona,” Pomona College Museum of Art, Claremont, CA 

The J. Paul Getty Museum, December 20 - May 6, 2012 

“In Focus: Los Angeles, 1945-1980,” The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

And coming in 2013:

University Art Museum

“West Coast Wegman” California State University, Long Beach

Check back tomorrow for a post from WW about Pacific Standard Time. 

From the archives...

William Wegman, Honest Balls, 1987

November 29, 1987

William Wegman: The Artist and His Dog

By AMY HEMPEL

In William Wegman's studio in New York's Hudson Valley, the blond floors appear to be stenciled in an abstract floral pattern. In fact, after prolonged efforts to keep his dog out of the way of workmen during construction, Wegman took a different tack: he painted his dog's feet green and let her loose inside. It is an example of what Wegman means when he says of his work in painting, drawing, video and photography, ''I pay a lot of attention to what the format is actually doing rather than what I want it to do.''

Finish the article here.