HUMAN NATURE

Photography, Publications

Even if we tried, we couldn’t get enough of William Wegman’s weimaraners.

s READ MORE

CLOSE

HUMAN NATURE

WORDS BY Jessa Shields

Looking back over his decades-long artistic career, William Wegman isn’t most proud of his numerous awards, grants, and fellowships, or of his participation in hundreds of exhibitions in galleries all over the world, or even of his screen time on Sesame Street. In fact, Wegman is proudest about the quality of life that he gave to his dogs. “I think that I’ve treated all of my dogs with special attention. I haven’t seen them as just one more Weimaraner. Each one is very unique, and I’ve been able to discover that,” he says.

William Wegman: Being Human is a comprehensive compendium of the pioneering photographer’s images of his anthropomorphic dogs, assembled from the archives by a fellow William and an expert curator: William A. Ewing. Inside its pages are over 300 works—many of them taken with a Polaroid 20×24 camera—which Wegman took from 1979 to 2007. “It’s interesting,” Wegman notes, “[that] for seven of the dogs, their entire lives were documented with that single lens.” Being Human is striking, surreal, and a coffee table staple for those who feel most human in the company of dogs.

—
William Wegman: Being Human is published by Chronicle Books

CLOSE

Publications

CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS

A heartfelt thank you to all the photographers, artists, illustrators, and writers who trusted us, dived in, and brought us delight, grace, excitement, courage, wilderness, and wonder over the last five years. Their work not only reflects the bonds we share with our animal companions, it also celebrates their spirit.

None of this would be possible without our four-legged counterparts who sprinkle magic dust time and time again, and our readers, who embraced this kooky idea, rallied around us, and made this world theirs too. With friends like these, who needs nine lives?

February 5, 2019