William Wegman’s unseen Polaroids are instant hits

Photo of two dogs, one white and one brown — Victor Chundo, by William Wegman

(Image credit: Courtesy of Sperone Westwater)

William Wegman – erstwhile Wallpaper* Guest Editor — is filling two floors of New York gallery Sperone Westwater with never before seen Polaroid pictures, which were only recently discovered. Taken over 30 years, they begin with his first 20 x 24 Polaroid camera experiments in 1979.

Most of those photographs, of course, feature Weimaraner dogs, the subject Wegman is best known (and adored) for. His own beloved canine muse, Fay Ray, and relatives are among them, dressed up in luxuriant coats, cardigans, and chiffon, and also in the buff. There is abundant humour and hilarity in his spontaneous shots, from the laugh-out-loud Wiggled (2005) to Proboscidea (1993). The quirkiness of his subject doesn’t evade Wegman.

The Polaroids present the consistent formal quality in Wegman’s work, and an interest in exploring his subjects within the canon of art history: from an early picture in a pared-down chocolate palette, See/Hear (1989) to the abstract, compositional Daisy Nut Cake (1994) and works such as Of the Cloth (1990) and Chick Chick (1991) that experiment with shape and patterns.

Although they’re as relatable, stylish and empathetic as the biped subject, it isn’t, Wegman has explained, a case of anthropomorphising the animals, but rather, our own way of looking, that makes these pictures so compelling to us. As he writes in his forthcoming book, Being Human: ‘I think that is how we are wired, to see ourselves.’

A dog wearing a long coat and holding a suitcase — *Bus Stop*.

Dog standing and covered in a coat — *Shar Pei*.

A dog sitting with a balloon on its head — *Party.*

A sitting dog with a long sock over it's mouth and nose — *Proboscidea.*

A dog with leaves on its head — *Green Up*.

Two photos of the same dog covered in a fabric, one is smaller than the other — Chick Chick.

One large and one smaller dog sitting — *Batty Batty*.

Front picture of a brown down and back picture of a black dog — *Two Tone*.

A dog wearing a black zip up coat — *Cardigan*.

Photo of a dog behind a clear picture of a cartoon duck — *Quacker*.

Dog standing behind a painted fabric — *Voyage.*

Dog sitting covered in a sheer fabric — *Spirit of Chiffon*.

Dog wearing a blond wig — *Blonde on Brown*.

Dog wearing a checked long shirt — *Of the Cloth*.

Two dogs wearing long dresses — *Dress Holders*.

Dog wearing a checked shirt sitting on a stool — *Stoolie*.

Black and white picture of a back of a dogs head — *Headland*.

Colourful picture of dogs legs — *Parcheesi*.

Black and white picture of the back of a dog — *Parcheesi*.

Black and white picture of a dog wearing a dress — *Twisted Hope*.

Same picture of a sitting dog side by side — *See/Hear*.

Two sets of dog legs — *Front Foot Side Back*.

INFORMATION

‘Dressed and Undressed’ is on view until 28 October. For more information, visit the Sperone Westwater website

ADDRESS

Sperone Westwater
257 Bowery
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Charlotte Jansen is a journalist and the author of two books on photography, Girl on Girl (2017) and Photography Now (2021). She is commissioning editor at Elephant magazine and has written on contemporary art and culture for The Guardian, the Financial Times, ELLE, the British Journal of Photography, Frieze and Artsy. Jansen is also presenter of Dior Talks podcast series, The Female Gaze.