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william eggleston. democratic camera
photography & video 1961–2008
20 feb 09 > 17 may 09
‘i had this notion of what i called a democratic way of looking around: that nothing was more important or less important.’ william eggleston
the american artist william eggleston (*1939, memphis, usa) is considered to be one of the most idiosyncratic photographer’s of the 20th century. this comprehensive retrospective follows his artistic development from the early black-and-white images and pioneering transition to colour photography, all the way to the present day.
william eggleston’s early pictures were black-and-white – rough, sketch-like photographs, which appeared as if the artist had captured the image only crudely and consciously, included all the unforeseeable and randomness of the situation. everything that happens in front of the camera is worthy of becoming a picture for eggleston – no matter how seemingly circumstantial or trivial. eggleston finds his motifs in the everyday life: supermarkets, bars or petrol stations, a polished car or a filled freezer compartment – the photographer points his ‘democratic camera’ at everything; nothing is ‘more or less important’. in the mid-1960s, eggleston began to consistently take photos in colour and thereby heralded, virtually single-handedly, he era of colour photography in art. he became famous with his solo show at the museum of modern art, new york, in 1976. his snapshot aesthetic and subjective application of colour, however, was considered so odd by the audience that the exhibition was deemed ‘most hated show of the year’. in the following years, eggleston evolved to being a pioneer of colour photography and influenced a younger generation of photographers with his pictures. amongst film directors he also enjoys cult status until today. several of his images became icons for contemporary photography, for example, ‘greenwood, mississippi’ (1973), a light bulb hanging from the ceiling of a room painted blood-red, which, like many of eggleston’s pictures was photographed from an unusual angle. by treating the image retroactively and the intense colouring achieved in doing so, affects the photograph an intensely suggestive way, thereby eluding any clear-cut interpretations that, much as several of eggleston’s pictures, allow for a multitude of associations. in addition to the circa 180 photographs by the artist, the exhibition includes ‘stranded in canton’, a sub-culture’s video portrait that developed from fragments taken between 1973 to 1974 and that was reassembled into a narrative structure by the filmmaker robert gordon.
the exhibition was organised by
whitney museum of american art, new york
in cooperation with haus der kunst munich
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william eggleston
greenwood, mississippi (detail), 1973
whitney museum of american art, new york
gift of anne and joel ehrenkranz
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william eggleston
untitled, 1965–68 and 1972–74, from Los Alamos, 2003
private collection
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william eggleston
memphis, c. 1969–71, from william eggleston’s guide, 1976
collection of john cheim
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william eggleston
memphis, c. 1969–70, from william eggleston’s guide, 1976
corcoran gallery of art, washington, d.c.
gift of mr. morris r. garfinkle
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william eggleston
untitled, 1976, from election eve, 1976
all © eggleston artistic trust. courtesy cheim & read, new york
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