William Wegman: Being Human

by William A. Ewing, William Wegman (Photographer)

Overview

Fall in love with these funny, striking, and surreal pups.

William Wegman's whimsical photographs of his Weimaraner dogs have been celebrated in the art world and enjoyed by pet lovers for nearly four decades. In this entirely new volume, renowned photography curator William A. Ewing presents more than 300 images from the artist's personal archive, unearthing previously unseen gems alongside the iconic images that have made Wegman—along with dressed-up dogs Man Ray, Fay Ray, and others—beloved worldwide. Presented in sixteen thematic chapters, William Wegman: Being Human foregrounds the photographer's penchant for play and his evergreen ability to create images that are at once funny, striking, and surreal. Audiences of all ages will fall in love—for the first time, or all over again—with Wegman and his friends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452164991
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	286,215
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

William Wegman is an internationally renowned photographer and bestselling author. He lives with his Weimaraners in New York and Maine.

William A. Ewing is an author, lecturer, and curator of photography.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/15/2017
Culled from over three decades of Wegman’s portraits of his Weimaraners—Man Ray and later Fay Ray and her several generations of offspring—the more than 300 photos collected in this volume vividly illustrate the artist’s witty, humanist approach to his subjects. Divided into 16 themed chapters, the book showcases some of Wegman’s best-known images of the dogs tricked out with people paraphernalia and dress alongside previously unseen gems from his personal archive. Even though Wegman claims to be averse to anthropomorphizing his dogs, his photos capture them at their most human looking. This is most evident in the chapters titled “Vogue” and “Style,” in which the dogs endure crimes of fashion with the blandly indifferent faces of runway models. Likewise, “People Like Us” and “More People Like Us” collect portraits of the dogs in diorama-like settings wearing the attire of everyday people and posed in often amusingly ill-proportioned postures. The book’s introduction playfully presents Wegman’s dogs as his collaborators and whimsically discusses the portraits—all of them beautifully lit and developed—in the context of contemporary artistic movements. In a concluding essay Wegman provides a brief history of his work with his Weimaraners—in whose soulful eyes and expressions, which seem to range from bemused to bored, viewers are likely to read their own interpretations of the human condition. Color photos. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Culled from over three decades of Wegman’s portraits of his Weimaraners—Man Ray and later Fay Ray and her several generations of offspring—the more than 300 photos collected in this volume vividly illustrate the artist’s witty, humanist approach to his subjects. Divided into 16 themed chapters, the book showcases some of Wegman’s best-known images of the dogs alongside previously unseen gems from his personal archive.” —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“Culled from over three decades of Wegman’s portraits of his Weimaraners—Man Ray and later Fay Ray and her several generations of offspring—the more than 300 photos collected in this volume vividly illustrate the artist’s witty, humanist approach to his subjects. Divided into 16 themed chapters, the book showcases some of Wegman’s best-known images of the dogs alongside previously unseen gems from his personal archive.” —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

From the Publisher

11/15/2017
Since the 1970s, Wegman has been making photographic collaborations with generations of his beloved Weimaraners. His dog photos have been published in many forms—more than 60 published books, calendars, notecards, etc.—but this newest publication serves as a retrospective, and features rare, previously unpublished images, along with more than 300 iconic photographs of the artist's famous dogs. Loosely organized by theme ("Nudes," "Tales," "Disguise," etc.), rather than by chronology, the book's title alludes to Wegman's tendency to humanize his dogs by using clothing and props, as he captures their light eyes staring into the camera lens. His images—part performance, part photography—were shot with a large-scale Polaroid, a rare approach indeed in the digital age. Editor Ewing contributes a playful introduction that sets the overall tone. The small format suggests a handheld, intimate feel; a thoughtful conversation with Wegman himself features behind-the-scene stories about several of his now-famous images. VERDICT Recommended for both dog and photography enthusiasts.—Shauna Frischkorn, Millersville Univ., PA

Library Journal