William Wegman

Profiles in Patriotism, from Freedom of Expression

1992

Born 1943, Holyoke Massachusetts; lives and works in New York City. American Artist William Wegman received a B.F.A. in painting from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1965 and an M.F.A. in painting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1967. By the early 1970s, Wegman’s work was being exhibited at museums and galleries across the globe. Wegman is well known for his photography featuring his dogs Man Ray, Fan Ray and her offspring. His later collaborations with Fan Ray marked his extensive use of the Poloraid 20 x 24 camera. In addition to his Photography, Wegman has created film and video works for television including segments for Saturday Night Live, Nickelodeon, and Sesame Street. Wegman’s photography, video work, paintings, and drawings, are held in the permanent collections of many important institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among others.