William Eggleston

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Lore & Background

William Eggleston was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Sumner, Mississippi. His father was an engineer and his mother was the daughter of a prominent local judge. As a boy, Eggleston was introverted; he enjoyed playing the piano, drawing, and working with electronics. At age 15, he was sent to the Webb School, which he later recalled with few fond memories, telling a reporter, 'It had a kind of Spartan routine to "build character." I never knew what that was supposed to mean. It was so callous and dumb.' He attended Vanderbilt University for a year, Delta State College for a semester, and the University of Mississippi for about five years, but did not complete any degree. His interest in photography took root when a friend at Vanderbilt gave him a Leica camera. He was introduced to abstract expressionism at the university by visiting painter Tom Young. Eggleston's early photographic efforts were inspired by Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank and by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson's book *The Decisive Moment*. He first photographed in black-and-white. In 1965 and 1966, he began experimenting with color after being introduced to the format by William Christenberry. By the late 1960s, color transparency film was his dominant medium. In 1970, Christenberry introduced him to Walter Hopps, who later reported being 'stunned' by Eggleston's work: 'I had never seen anything like it.' From 1973 to 1974, Eggleston taught at Harvard. During these years, he discovered dye-transfer printing, which resulted in some of his most striking work, such as his 1973 photograph *The Red Ceiling*. Of it, Eggleston said, 'The Red Ceiling is so powerful, that in fact, I've never seen it reproduced on the page to my satisfaction. When you look at the dye it is like red blood that's wet on the wall.'

Reader's Guide

William Eggleston's significance lies in his role in establishing color photography as a serious artistic medium, a shift marked by his 1976 solo exhibition at MoMA. Although MoMA had exhibited color photographs by Eliot Porter and Ernst Haas earlier, the 1976 show is regarded as a watershed moment, marking 'the acceptance of colour photography by the highest validating institution.' His work, often depicting mundane subjects like old tires, Dr. Pepper machines, discarded air-conditioners, and parking meters, was noted by writer Eudora Welty for showing 'the grain of the present, like the cross-section of a tree.' Eggleston's use of dye-transfer printing produced vivid, saturated colors that became a hallmark of his style. He also experimented with video in the 1970s, producing footage called *Stranded in Canton*, which writer Richard Woodward called a 'demented home movie.' In 2017, an album of Eggleston's music, *Musik*, was released, comprising 13 'experimental electronic soundscapes' made entirely on a 1980s Korg synthesiser and recorded to floppy disks. He released a second album, *512*, in 2023. In 2012, 39 of his larger-format prints sold for $5.9 million at Christie's, with the top lot, *Untitled 1970*, setting a world auction record at $578,000.

Did You Know?

• Eggleston's 1973 photograph *The Red Ceiling* was printed using dye-transfer, and he said it looked 'like red blood that's wet on the wall.'
• In the 1970s, Eggleston produced video footage called *Stranded in Canton*, which writer Richard Woodward called a 'demented home movie.'
• Eggleston released an album of music, *Musik*, in 2017, made entirely on a 1980s Korg synthesiser and recorded to floppy disks.
• In 2012, a single print by Eggleston, *Untitled 1970*, sold for $578,000 at auction, setting a world record for the photographer.
• Eggleston attended Vanderbilt University for a year, Delta State College for a semester, and the University of Mississippi for about five years, but did not complete any degree.

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