Witty and wonderful, William Wegman’s unseen Polaroids are instant classics

Art / 18 Sep 2017 / By Charlotte Jansen

*Victor Chundo*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Bus Stop*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Shar Pei*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Party*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Proboscidea*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Green Up*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

Chick Chick, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Batty Batty*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Two Tone*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Cardigan*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Quacker*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Voyage*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Spirit of Chiffon*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Eye for an Eye*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Blonde on Brown*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Of the Cloth*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Dress Holders*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Stoolie*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Headland*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Parcheesi*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Coat of Arms*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Twisted Hope*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Wiggled*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*See/Hear*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

*Front Foot Side Back*, by William Wegman. *Courtesy of Sperone Westwater*

Information: ‘Dressed and Undressed’ is on view until 28 October. For more information, visit the Sperone Westwater website
Address: Sperone Westwater
257 Bowery
New York
Telephone: 1.212 999 7337

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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.’

RELATED TOPICS: PHOTOGRAPHY, WILLIAM WEGMAN, NEW YORK EXHIBITIONS

Witty and wonderful, William Wegman’s unseen Polaroids are instant classics

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