William Wegman is an artist with an international reputation. A conspicuous feature of much of his paintings and photographs is his dog, Man Ray. Using his dog as the central component of his artworks has enabled Wegman to develop a unique artistic approach. After Man Ray died, Wegman took a break from making art, only to return to making images of a new dog, Man Ray’s successor, Fay Ray. Fay Ray went on to have several puppies, which also became a part of Wegman’s creative pieces. Often, his dogs were depicted as the characters in fairy tales with a contemporary twist. A photo book of these dog pictures was released to wide acclaim. Wegman’s work in film is a key part of his oeuvre, and his work in this medium has been presented at the Sundance Film Festival.
William Wegman studied at the Massachusetts College of Art, and received an MFA in painting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1967. He is also a successful children’s author, achieving New York Times Bestseller status with ‘Puppies’. His work is held permanently by many major art galleries, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Centre Pompidou, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
