When William Eggleston first started developing in Color way back in 1965, contemporary purists considered it an insult to their palate, tantamount to Bobby Dylan going electric up in Newport (at right about the very same time). Over the years, Eggleston slowly came to regard his staunch critics as pariahs, the majority of whom were constantly angling to get over, despite resigning themselves to standing still upon arrival. Theirs was a static existence, so far as Eggleston was concerned. By most accounts, Mr. Eggleston was – and is – an unrepentant aristocrat who never sought to form alliances. A half a century removed, the Memphis photographer is now widely recognized to be both an auteur and an outlaw, cracking the necessary yoke of color photography only a short time before bleeding it dry via transfer. In Eggleston’s wake, you’ll find an entire plethora of acolytes, Sofia Coppola and David Lynch chief among them. More importantly, you’ll find the towering legacy of a man who’s always understood that adhering to arbitrary lines in the sand will only serve to bind you till the next slow-building groundswell comes along.
(At War With the Obvious is running now through July 28th in Gallery 852 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Avenue @ 83rd Street)
Five More For The Offing:
- An Evening Of Critical Conversation About Art @ The National Academy Museum (Tonight, 6:30 PM, $12, 1083 5th Avenue)
- Jean-Michel Basquiat @ The Gagosian Gallery (Through 4/6, 555 W. 24th Street)
- Everyday America: Photographs from the Berman Collection @ Steven Kasher Gallery (Through 3/23, 521 West 23rd Street)
- Tracy Had a Hard Sunday by Parra @ The Jonathan LeVine Gallery (Through 3/23, 529 W. 20th Street, 9th Fl.)
- Cold Castle @ Family Business Gallery (Through March 9th, 520 West 21st Street)
Galleria is a new weekly feature on IFB.