William Eggleston: Democratic Camera Photographs and Video
William Eggleston’s great achievement in photography can be described in a straightforward way: he captures everyday moments and transforms them into indelible images. William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008 presents a comprehensive selection from nearly fifty years of image-making.
Born in 1939 in Sumner, Mississippi, a small town in the Delta region, Eggleston showed an early interest in cameras and audio technology. While studying at various colleges in the South, he purchased his first camera and came across a copy of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s book The Decisive Moment (1952). In the early 1960s, Eggleston married and moved to Memphis, where he has lived ever since. He first worked in black-and-white, but by the end of the decade began photographing primarily in color. Internationally acclaimed and widely traveled, Eggleston has spent the past four decades photographing all around the world, conveying intuitive responses to fleeting configurations of cultural signs and moods as specific expressions of local color. Psychologically complex and casually refined, bordering on kitsch and never conventionally beautiful, these photographs speak principally to the expanse of Eggleston’s imagination and have had a pervasive influence on all aspects of visual culture. By not censoring, rarely editing, and always photographing, Eggleston convinces us of the idea of the democratic camera.
Exhibition: William Eggleston: Democratic Camera Photographs and Video, 1961—2008, Whitney Museum, November 7 - January 25, 2009
The Eggleston Artistic Trust is dedicated to the representation and preservation of the work of William Eggleston.
Recommended reading: William Eggleston’s Guide
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008
Beach House by Javier Artadi Arquitecto
Curvex Table by Matthias Demacker
One Response to
“William Eggleston: Democratic Camera Photographs and Video”
Post a comment
Design Icons
Eames Lounge Chair
A modern interpretation of the traditional English club chair, created in 1956 it is now a classic in the history of modern furniture. [more...]
Suggested Reading
MoonFire: The Epic Journey of Apollo 11
A unique tribute to the defining scientific mission of our time, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
Cars
Freedom Style Sex Power Motion Colour Everything. This lavish and beautifully designed book is the gift book for all car enthusiasts and design aficionados. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
The Eames Lounge Chair
The book examines the evolution of a design icon and places it in its cultural, historical and social context. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
Marcel Wanders
Behind the Ceiling is the first monograph on one of the most influential, prolific and celebrated international designers today. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
The Design Hotels Book
Indispensable directory of impressive hotels and destinations for those who like to travel in style. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
Editor's Picks
Studioilse w084t Task Lamp
A dimmable table lamp constructed of iron for its feelings of stability, reliability, trust; wood with its warmth and life, and porcelain for its intimate glow. [more...]
More Books
Case Study Houses
“It’s a huge coffee-table book, which analyses each of the houses in chronological order, with plans, sketches and glorious photographs.” [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
Wonderwall: Masamichi Katayama
introducing over forty recent projects by Japan’s hottest retail designer with an extraordinary selection of interior designs for boutiques and retail outlets. [more...]
Buy it Here: Amazon
The U.N. Building
Symbol of world humanitarianism, a beacon of unity after the Second World War. More than 50 years on, the 39-story building is regarded as one of the pinnacles of mid-century modernism. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
Loblolly House
Including a DVD of the film "A House in the Trees", a real-time documentary of the design, fabrication, and assembly of this amazing house. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
Desire
The Shape of Things to Come. An up-to-date comprehensive survey on furniture and object design today, showcasing the crème de la crème of designers. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
Moholy: Vision in Motion
New Bauhaus founder László Moholy-Nagy was a painter, typographer, photographer, stage designer, and architect... one of the most creative intelligences of our time. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
How to Wrap Five Eggs
A mid-60s classic of Japanese design. Stunningly laid-out paean to traditional Japanese packaging is rife with sumptuous black and white photos of all manner of boxes, wrappers and containers that appear at once homely and sophisticated, ingeniously utilitarian yet fine and rare. [more...]
Buy it here: Amazon
Follow Daily Icon on Kindle
Get the same great Daily Icon content delivered to your Kindle. All Kindle subscriptions start with a 14-day free trial.
Buy it here: Amazon
Daily Icon features extraordinary Designers, Architecture and Products, with a special focus on furniture, accessories and lighting for the home.
March 20th, 2009 at 12:43 am
I’ve always loved his work. One of his son’s and I went to high school together, and when I got to visit their home, even before I photographed, it was really inspirational.