William Eggleston facts for kids

William Eggleston (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is famous for helping people see color photography as a serious art form. His well-known books include William Eggleston's Guide (1976) and The Democratic Forest (1989).

Eggleston has received several important awards. These include a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1974 and the Hasselblad Award in 1998. He also became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in 2003.

Early Life and Learning

William Eggleston was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up in Sumner, Mississippi. His father was an engineer, and his mother's father was a well-known judge.

As a boy, Eggleston was quiet and enjoyed playing the piano. He also liked drawing and working with electronics. From a young age, he loved looking at pictures. He often bought postcards and cut out images from magazines.

At 15, Eggleston went to the Webb School. This was a boarding school. He later said he didn't have many good memories of the school. He felt it was a tough place that didn't value art or music. Unlike many boys in the South, he preferred art over hunting or sports. Still, he felt he fit in, even if he was different.

Eggleston attended a few universities but did not finish a degree. These included Vanderbilt University, Delta State College, and the University of Mississippi. His interest in photography began when a friend gave him a Leica camera at Vanderbilt. He also learned about abstract expressionism from a visiting painter at the University of Mississippi.

How He Developed His Art

Eggleston's first photos were inspired by other photographers. He liked the work of Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Cartier-Bresson's book, The Decisive Moment, was very important to him. Eggleston said he didn't understand it at first, but then it clicked, and he realized it was amazing.

He started by taking black-and-white photos. But in 1965 and 1966, he began trying color. This happened after William Christenberry showed him how. Color transparency film soon became his main way of working.

Eggleston developed his style mostly on his own. In 1969, John Szarkowski, a famous photography expert, saw Eggleston's work. He was very impressed by his "drugstore" color prints. Szarkowski then helped MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) buy one of Eggleston's photos.

In 1970, Eggleston's friend William Christenberry introduced him to Walter Hopps. Hopps was the director of the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. Hopps was "stunned" by Eggleston's photos, saying he had never seen anything like them.

Eggleston taught at Harvard in 1973 and 1974. During this time, he found out about dye-transfer printing. This process made his photos look incredibly vibrant. He said that every photo he printed this way looked "fantastic." One of his most famous works from this time is The Red Ceiling (1973). Eggleston described it as being so powerful, like "red blood that's wet on the wall."

At Harvard, Eggleston put together his first collection, called 14 Pictures (1974). His work was shown at MoMA in 1976. This show was a big moment in photography history. It helped people accept color photography as a serious art form.

Around the time of his 1976 MoMA show, Eggleston met Viva. She was a famous artist connected to Andy Warhol. This connection might have helped Eggleston think about his "democratic camera" idea. This idea means taking pictures of everyday things. In the 1970s, Eggleston also made videos. He created hours of footage called Stranded in Canton. One writer described it as a "demented home movie." It showed his children and other scenes, reflecting his "fearless naturalism." This means he believed interesting things could be seen by looking closely at what others ignore.

Eggleston has published many books of his photographs. These include Los Alamos (completed 1974), William Eggleston's Guide (1976), and The Democratic Forest (1989). He also took photos for the set of John Huston's film Annie (1982). He documented the making of David Byrne's film True Stories (1986).

In 2017, an album of Eggleston's music was released, called Musik. It has 13 "experimental electronic soundscapes." These are often dramatic improvisations based on music by Bach and Handel. He made the music using a 1980s Korg synthesizer.

Eggleston's Unique Style

Eggleston's later work is known for showing ordinary things. As writer Eudora Welty pointed out, his photos might show "old tires, Dr. Pepper machines, discarded air-conditioners." They also feature "vending machines, empty and dirty Coca-Cola bottles, torn posters." You might also see "power poles, street barricades, and No Parking signs."

Eudora Welty believed Eggleston saw the beauty in everyday life. She said his photos "succeed in showing us the grain of the present." Artist Edward Ruscha said that when you see an Eggleston picture, "you're stepping into some kind of jagged world that seems like Eggleston World."

Art Market Success

In 2012, 36 of Eggleston's large prints were sold for $5.9 million. This happened at an auction at Christie's. The money went to the Eggleston Artistic Trust. This group works to protect his art. One print, Untitled 1970, sold for $578,000. This set a world record for a single print by the photographer.

Photos in Famous Works

Eggleston's art has been used on many album covers. The Memphis band Big Star used his photo The Red Ceiling on their album Radio City. His photo of dolls on a Cadillac hood was on the cover of the Alex Chilton album Like Flies on Sherbert.

His photos also appear on albums by Primal Scream, Jimmy Eat World (for Bleed American), Silver Jews, Joanna Newsom, Spoon, and the Black Keys.

Films About Eggleston

Several documentaries have been made about William Eggleston:

• William Eggleston in the Real World (2005)
• By the Ways: A Journey with William Eggleston (2007)
• The Colourful Mr. Eggleston (2009)
• The Source (2012)
• Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2013)

He has also appeared in movies and TV shows:

• Great Balls of Fire (1989) – He played Jerry Lee Lewis's father.
• Restless (2011) – He played an x-ray technician.
• Today (TV Series) (2011) – He appeared as himself.
• Sunday Morning (2016) – He appeared as himself.

Music Albums

• Musik (Secretly Canadian, 2017)
• 512 (Secretly Canadian, 2023)

Exhibitions

Eggleston's work has been shown in many important art exhibitions around the world:

• 1999–2000: William Eggleston and the Color Tradition, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
• 2001–2002: William Eggleston, Fondation Cartier, Paris.
• 2002: documenta 11, Kassel, Germany.
• 2002: William Eggleston: Los Alamos, Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany.
• 2008: William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video 1961–2008, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
• 2016: William Eggleston Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, London.
• 2017: William Eggleston: Los Alamos, Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam.
• 2023: William Eggleston . Mystery of the Ordinary, C/O Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Awards and Honors

• 1974: Guggenheim Fellowship
• 1975: Photographer's Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts
• 1989: "54 Master Photographers of 1960-1979" Award, Photographic Society of Japan
• 1995: Distinguished Achievement Award, University of Memphis
• 1998: Hasselblad Award, Hasselblad Foundation, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 2003: Special 150th Anniversary Medal and Honorary Fellowship, Royal Photographic Society, London
• 2004: Getty Images Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Center of Photography (ICP)
• 2013: Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award, Sony World Photography Awards.

Collections

Eggleston's photographs are kept in many public art collections:

• Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
• J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA
• Museum of Modern Art, New York City
• Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
• Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City
• International Photography Hall of Fame, St.Louis, MO

See also

In Spanish: William Eggleston para niños