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Now on MetCollects: William Wegman on His Early Video Work

Dana Miller
July 19, 2018
Video projected on a screen in the William Wegman exhibition Before/On/After

William Wegman (American, born 1943). Fast (still), 1976–77. Single-channel digital video, transferred from 3/4-inch U-matic video tape, color, sound, 12 sec. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of William Wegman and Christine Burgin, 2017 (2017.210.137). © William Wegman, Courtesy of the Artist

MetCollects is a monthly online feature that highlights works of art new to the Museum's collection through the fresh eyes of photographers and the enthusiastic voices of leading scholars and artists.

The June episode celebrates a unique gift to the Museum: 174 video works by William Wegman (American, born 1943) made between 1970 and 1999—his complete career in the medium—plus a handful of his works on paper and photographs, given to the Museum by the artist and Christine Burgin.

The magnitude of the gift prompted curator Douglas Eklund to create an exhibition around these works, titled Before/On/After: William Wegman and California Conceptualism. The exhibition closed earlier this month, but for those who weren't able to visit, this episode of MetCollects provides a window into the experience.

In his photo essay for MetCollects, photographer Mark Morosse captures the design of the exhibition, which Wegman said was "probably the best presentation of my video ever." Morosse's photographs then focus on the artist's works on paper, highlighting subtle marks and ensuring that the textual elements are legible.

Interview with William Wegman for MetCollects

This episode also affords a rare opportunity to hear Wegman discuss his early video work. In the Artist Interview, he talks about his approach to making art, his heroes, and his art partner, Man Ray, the Weimaraner made famous by the artist. In the accompanying essay, Eklund describes the brevity of Wegman's videos as "shocking in its time" and describes the joy of hearing "peals of laughter" coming from the exhibition gallery.

MetCollects is made possible through the continued generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Dana Miller

Dana Miller is a production editor for Bloomberg projects in the Digital Department.