Henry Wessel Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henry Wessel
Wessel with his dog Roxy
Born	July 28, 1942 Teaneck, New Jersey, US
Died	September 20, 2018(2018-09-20) (aged 76) Bay Area, California, US
Nationality	American
Education	B.A. – Pennsylvania State University M.F.A. – State University of New York at Buffalo
Occupation	Photographer

Henry Wessel (born July 28, 1942 – died September 20, 2018) was an American photographer and teacher. He was known for his unique black-and-white photos of everyday scenes, especially from the American West. His pictures often showed a quiet, sometimes funny, view of the world around him.

Wessel created many photography books. He received important awards like two Guggenheim Fellowships and three National Endowment for the Arts grants. His amazing work is now kept in major museums in America, Europe, and Asia.

His first big art show was at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1972. He was also one of ten photographers in a very important show called New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape in 1975. His photos have been shown in many other famous places, like the Tate Modern in London and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Wessel was a professor of art at the San Francisco Art Institute. He taught there for a long time, from 1973 until 2014, helping many young artists.

Life and Photography Journey

Henry Wessel was born in Teaneck, New Jersey. He grew up in Ridgefield. He went to Pennsylvania State University and finished in 1966. While there, he found a photography book in a store. This book changed his life and made him want to be a photographer instead of studying psychology.

Throughout his whole career, Wessel used only one type of camera and film. He used a Leica 35 mm camera with a 28 mm wide-angle lens. For film, he always chose Kodak Tri-X, which is known for its black-and-white look. This helped him create his special style.

Wessel was a much-loved teacher at the San Francisco Art Institute. He taught art there for over 40 years, from 1973 to 2014. He helped many students learn about photography.

Henry Wessel passed away at age 76 in his home in Point Richmond, Richmond, California. He died on September 21, 2018, from a lung condition called pulmonary fibrosis.

Exhibitions and Shows

Henry Wessel's photographs were shown in many important art exhibitions. These shows helped people around the world see his unique way of looking at everyday life.

Solo Exhibitions

These were shows where only Henry Wessel's photos were displayed:

• 1972–1973: Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY.
• 1998: Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA.
• 2007: Henry Wessel: Photographs, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA.
• 2014–2015: Incidents, Tate Modern, London.

Group Exhibitions

These were shows where Henry Wessel's photos were displayed alongside other artists' work:

• 1975: New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape, George Eastman House, Rochester, NY. This was a very important show that changed how people saw landscape photography.
• 1978: Mirrors and Windows: American Photography Since 1960," Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY.
• 1991: Pleasures and Terrors of Domestic Comfort, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY.
• 2005: Garry Winogrand and American Street Photographers Mitch Epstein, Lee Friedlander, Joel Meyerowitz, and Henry Wessel, Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• 2009: Into the Sunset Image of the American West, Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Awards and Honors

Henry Wessel received several important awards for his photography. These awards recognized his talent and his contributions to the art world.

• 1971: Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
• 1975: National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Photography.
• 1977: National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Photography.
• 1978: National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Photography.
• 1978: Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Museum Collections

Henry Wessel's photographs are part of the permanent collections in many famous museums. This means his work is kept there forever for people to see and study.