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Videos go
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to the dogsWilliam Wegman is known for his pictures of dogs. No, not the ones smoking stogies and playing poker. Wegman's focus in his photographs and videos are his Weimaraners.
"Selected Works 1970-78," a 1981 compilation of his videos in black and white and color, will be screened through June 11 at the Contemporary Museum.
Although Wegman is identified with his portraits of his dogs, particularly one called Man Ray, "he is a highly original figure in the history of video art," according to the museum. He uses understated humor, minimalist performance and low-tech video to create narrative comedy.
Curator Ann Brandman said Wegman's works are classic. "He used video in an amazing way very early on," she said. "He was a pioneer in video art."
Although video as an art form is now commonplace, she said Wegman still employs the medium simply. "He is a great humorist but with an economy of means. His work still gets people."
Wegman is described as having a subversive wit, using minimal props, his body and everyday situations.
The compilation is composed of his best known comic pieces, providing a retrospective of his work of the 1970s. One video, "Man Ray, Man Ray," is described as an ironic parody of the biographical documentary, in which Man Ray the dog is used as a surrogate for his namesake, the artist Man Ray.
The videos screen continuously during regular museum hours.
Also at the museum is an exhibition of works to be sold in a silent fund-raising auction April 22. Bids will be taken on pieces by such artists as Satoru Abe, Clayton Amemiya, Enrique Chagoy and Vicky Chock until April 22. The exhibition will continue through April 20.
What: William Wegman video exhibition
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