William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008 (Whitney Museum of American Art) [Hardcover]

Ms. Elisabeth Sussman (Author), Thomas Weski (Author), Tina Kukielski (Contributor), Stanley Booth (Contributor), Donna De Salvo (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Whitney Museum of American Art | Publication Date: December 2, 2008

Elvis’s Graceland, a freezer stuffed with food, a Gulf gasoline sign standing in a deserted rural landscape—these are only a few of the iconic images captured by the “democratic camera” of photographer William Eggleston. Not only has he drawn upon images so telling of American culture, he has produced them with an intensity and balance of color that have helped elevate the entire field of color photography to a fine art, especially since his 1976 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.

 

Drawing together Eggleston’s famous and lesser-known works, this lavishly illustrated catalogue is the first to examine both his photography and videos. Of particular relevance are his black-and-white images from the late 1950s and 1960s, which helped shape his color photography, as well as the relationship between his provocative video recordings of 1970s Memphis nightlife and his later work. Included are reproductions of newly restored prints, executed specifically for the exhibition.

 

Filled with new and challenging contributions to scholarship and accompanying the first major U.S. survey of his work, this catalogue will prove the standard reference for Eggleston’s photographs for years to come.

 

(20081215)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Besides more than 134 plates, this invaluable retrospective contains stills from Eggleston''s cinema verité videotape Stranded in Canton and six cogent, jargon-free essays, the best by Eggleston''s longtime writer friend, Stanley Booth."—Booklist

(Booklist 20081228)

"Some of the images—an oven interior, shower stall, ceiling with electrical cords and light bulb—are classics. But this catalog . . . goes back to Eggleston''s black-and-white work and extends to videos, becoming the most comprehensive volume on a master it''s impossible to overrate."—Alan G. Artner, Chicago Tribune

(Alan G. Artner Chicago Tribune )

About the Author

Elisabeth Sussman is curator and Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography, Whitney Museum of American Art, and editor of Gordon Matta-Clark: “You Are the Measure.” Thomas Weski is chief curator of the Haus der Kunst, Munich. Tina Kukielski is senior curatorial assistant, Whitney Museum of American Art. Stanley Booth is an independent music critic and writer. Donna De Salvo is chief curator and associate director of programs, Whitney Museum of American Art, and coeditor of Lawrence Weiner: AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE.

 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: The Whitney Museum of American Art (December 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300126212
• ISBN-13: 978-0300126211
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My favorite photo book of 2008, December 26, 2008

By 

H. Domke (New Bloomfield, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008 (Whitney Museum of American Art) (Hardcover)

Sum: My favorite photo book of 2008

Pros:
* 227 Eggleston prints in vibrant color - I'm tempted to frame some.
* This large well-crafted hardbound book is a bargain at $40

Cons:
* Ugly cover
* 14-pages of the book cover a video from 1974 that has nothing to do with his main body of work.
* Erratic writing quality by 5 authors (why so many writers?)

Better writing about Eggleston can be found in the New Yorker. My favorite art critic Peter Schjeldahl writes:

"You can always tell a William Eggleston photograph. It's the one in color that hits you in the face and leaves you confused and happy, and perhaps convinces you that you don't understand photography nearly as well as you thought you did."

"He shoots like a shutterbug and executes like a painter."

In case you are wondering about the the use of the word "Democratic" in the title, it has notthing to do with politics. Instead it has to do with the way Eggleston picks the subjects he photographs. "I had this notion of what I called a democratic way of looking around: that nothing was more important or less important."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Excellent, January 7, 2009

By 

Raymond Elstad (Cardiff by the Sea, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008 (Whitney Museum of American Art) (Hardcover)

I read in the New Yorker that Eggleston was having a retrospective at the Whitney and immediatly went on line to see if there was a catalogue. There was and I now have it and am happy that I do. His iconic images are here of course as well as many that I've never seen before. A wonderful collection of his work and one that I will share with my photo students at Palomar College in San Marcos, CA.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Overview, August 16, 2009

By 

W. Rosen "chickendog" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008 (Whitney Museum of American Art) (Hardcover)

This is sort of a general reader or introduction to William Eggleston's photography meant to accompany the retrospective exhibition. Hopefully seeing some of the images in here will wet your appetite to look further into his work and pick up some of his classic books like Eggleston's Guide. None of the images from Paris are in here.