Synopses & Reviews
This fascinating book reveals the full range of William Wegmanand#8217;s art. Beloved by the general public for signature photographs of his troupe of Weimaraners, Wegman is also an immensely important figure in the contemporary art world.A pioneer video-maker, conceptualist, performer, photographer, painter, draftsman, and writer, Wegman moves fluidly among various media: from conceptual works to commissioned magazine shots; from videos shown in museums to television segments made for Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live; from artistand#8217;s books parodying nineteenth-century naturalist studies to childrenand#8217;s books revealing tongue-in-cheek portraits of town and country life;and#160; from photographic and#147;landscapesand#8221; employing his canineand#160;muses to his most recent cycle of landscapes combining found scenic souvenir postcards with drawing, collage, and painting. Underlying all his creations is the light humor of and#147;funnyand#8221; mediating the darker human comedy of and#147;strange.and#8221; Speaking to the absurdities of daily life, Wegmanand#8217;s work is universally appealing.William Wegman: Funneyand#151;Strange is illustrated with some 250 images. It is the first retrospective volume to consider the artistand#8217;s entire career from the 1960s to the 2000s and is an essential book for any fan of Wegmanand#8217;s work.
Review
The Brooklyn Museum (March 10 - May 28, 2006)
--Smithsonian American Art Museum
Review
Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts (April 7 - July 31, 2007)
--Stanley Engerman
Review
Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach (November 4, 2006 - January 28, 2007)
--Addison Gallery of American Art
Review
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. ( July 4 - September 24, 2006)
--Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach
Review
"The retrospective of William Wegmans multifarious career. . . simultaneously confirms why Mr. Wegman hasnt always received the respect he deserves and why he deserves it. The short explanation—on both counts—is that he has been too innovatively funny for too long and on too many levels (visual, verbal, commercial and arty) for people to see the serious artist behind the inveterate jokester. Hes also been funny in too many mediums for his achievement to be easily grasped. . . . In his long and productive career, Mr.Wegman has remained as true as any of his legendary 1970s contemporaries to the belief that the artists job is to make something that doesnt look like art. . . . His best work juggles the many balls of Post-Minimalism—process, language, performance—with an amateurish finesse that few of his
contemporaries match. . . . He has not only embraced Americana, but he has also become part of it."—Roberta Smith, The New York Times
--The Brooklyn Museum
Synopsis
A comprehensive and intriguing look at the witty and sophisticated art of William Wegman, beloved by the general public and held in critical esteem within the international art world
About the Author
JOAN SIMON is curator-at-large for the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. She is also a contributing editor to
Art in America and has worked independently for museums, foundations, and publishers in the U.S. and Europe.
CITATION: The Brooklyn Museum (March 10 - May 28, 2006)
(The Brooklyn Museum, May 28 2006 )
CITATION: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. ( July 4 - September 24, 2006)
(Smithsonian American Art Museum, Oct 9 2006 )
CITATION: Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach (November 4, 2006 - January 28, 2007)
(Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, Feb 18 2007 )
CITATION: Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts (April 7 - July 31, 2007)
(Addison Gallery of American Art, Jul 31 2007 )
CITATION: "The retrospective of William Wegman's multifarious career. . . simultaneously confirms why Mr. Wegman hasn't always received the respect he deserves and why he deserves it. The short explanation-on both counts-is that he has been too innovatively funny for too long and on too many levels (visual, verbal, commercial and arty) for people to see the serious artist behind the inveterate jokester. He's also been funny in too many mediums for his achievement to be easily grasped. . . . In his long and productive career, Mr.Wegman has remained as true as any of his legendary 1970's contemporaries to the belief that the artist's job is to make something that doesn't look like art. . . . His best work juggles the many balls of Post-Minimalism-process, language, performance-with an amateurish finesse that few of hiscontemporaries match. . . .(Roberta Smith, The New York Times)