William Wegman Homage

Michael Dalby

In Homage To...

William Wegman

(b. 1943 in Holyoke, Massachusetts) is an art photographer famous for his soulful compositions involving his Weimaraner dogs in various costumes and poses. Originally intending to pursue a career as a painter, Wegman received a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1967.

While teaching at California State University, Long Beach Wegman acquired the first and most famous of the dogs he photographed. He named the Weimaraner Man Ray after the artist and photographer. Man Ray became so popular that the Village Voice named the dog "Man of the Year" in 1982. A subsequent dog was given the name Fay Ray (a play on the name of actress Fay Wray). Wegman's photos are in the permanent collections at the Hammer Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Wegman's photos and videos have also appeared in books, advertisments, films, and on the television programs Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live. In 2006, Wegman's work will be featured in a retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Norton Museum of Art, and the Addison Gallery.

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