Directed by William Wegman
USA 1970-1999

  DVDBeaver has reviewed quite a few Avante-garde production DVDs through the years but Wegman's comedic work could be the most stringent of this particular category of art film. I'm a little speechless, to tell you the truth. I did enjoy much of what I saw but I am not capable or articulating why. I suppose its uniqueness may be part of the reason. I expect Wegman's Video work will only appeal to a very small number of individuals, but if you have the capacity to give yourself over to the expression(s) you would surely benefit. If you aren't warned by the screen captures below - allow me to expand - these are plot-less, short video segments photographed and starring William Wegman and his dog. It appears to bear relevance to nothing outside of its milieu. For that alone your curiosity may be peaked. Some of it had me laughing to almost tears. Wegman has a keen sense of humor and the dogs have perfect timing. 4 straight hours may be a bit much for anyone though. I suggested dividing your viewing up. A segment or two is the perfect compliment to showing friends who visit.

Gary W. Tooze   

About Wegman:

William Wegman was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1943. He graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, in 1965 with a BFA in painting, then enrolled in the Masters painting and printmaking program at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, receiving an MFA in 1967. After teaching at various universities, Wegman’s interests in areas beyond painting ultimately led him to photography and the infant medium of video. While living in Long Beach, California, Wegman acquired Man Ray, the dog with whom he began a fruitful twelve-year collaboration. Man Ray became a central figure in Wegman’s photography and videos, known in the art world and beyond for his endearing deadpan presence. In 1972, Wegman and Man Ray moved to New York. In 1986, a new dog, Fay Ray, came into Wegman’s life, and soon thereafter another famous collaboration began, marked by Wegman’s use of the Polaroid 20 x 24 camera. With the birth of Fay’s litter in 1989 and her daughter’s litter in 1995, Wegman’s cast grew. His photographs, videos, paintings, and drawings have been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally. A retrospective of his work traveled to museums throughout Europe and the United States, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. His most recent exhibitions have gone to Japan, Sweden, and the Orange County Museum of Art in California. Wegman lives in New York and Maine.

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