William Eggleston: Anointing The Overlooked Opens at Frist Center For The Visual Arts January 21, 2011

Exhibition Transforms Ordinary Moments into Indelible Images

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- William Eggleston: Anointing the Overlooked, an exhibition bringing together recent works and iconic photographs by one of today's most renowned photographers, William Eggleston, opens in the Upper Level Gallery of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts Jan. 21, 2011, and remains on view through May 1, 2011.

The exhibition, originated by the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, includes 50 photographs by the Memphis, Tenn., resident who is one of the most influential artists of his generation.  Included in the exhibition are selections from the permanent collection of the Memphis Brooks Museum, Cheim and Read Gallery, New York, with the assistance of the Eggleston Artistic Trust, and the David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, ephemera objects and the continuous screening of the renowned 2007 documentary By the Ways: A Journey with William Eggleston, directed by Vincent Gerard and Cedric Laty.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Frist Center will also present a film series, "The Strangeness of the Ordinary," featuring films by David Lynch, Gus Van Sant and Sofia Coppola, directors who have been influenced by Eggleston's aesthetic innovations.

William Eggleston was a key figure in legitimizing color photography as an artistic medium.  By not censoring, rarely editing, and photographing the seemingly forgettable, Eggleston reminds audiences of the inherent democratic uses of photography and our widespread access to it.

"What distinguishes Eggleston as an artist is his uncanny ability to capture everyday scenes or objects without slipping into sentimentality or nostalgia," says Dr. Susan Edwards, Executive Director and CEO of the Frist Center. "His photographs are familiar yet nonspecific, compelling in their simplicity and intriguing by virtue of their understatement."

In 1976, Eggleston exhibited his works in the first solo exhibition of color photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York.  Color Photographs by William Eggleston, and its accompanying publication, William Eggleston's Guide (after the Michelin Guide), caused something of a sensation among museum visitors and critics who found Eggleston's use of color garish and his seemingly offhand approach antithetical to their expectations of art photography, which at the time was dominated by black and white images, printed in darkrooms as a sign of authorship and authenticity.  

Eggleston has frequently produced groups of photographs as cohesive units, either as a series made at a specific site for a project or for a commission.  Included in Anointing the Overlooked are seven photographs reproduced in William Eggleston's Guide, among them the iconic Memphis (Tricycle) (ca. 1971). Selections from two series of the early 1980s, The Southern Suite and Troubled Waters, are also included in the exhibition. Finally, a large group of rarely seen photographs made after 2000 reveals Eggleston's continued interest in showing the everyday in a new light. These later works amplify the sharp colors and limpid atmospheres of his earlier imagery, while showing Eggleston as an artist who continues to expand his startling vision. Accompanying the exhibition will be a selection of album and compact disk covers featuring Eggleston's imagery. These were created for various musicians—Alex Chilton, Spoon, Big Star, Chuck Prophet, Silver Jews, Primal Scream, Christopher Idylls, Joanna Newsom, and The Derek Trucks Band.  

"Eggleston reminds us not to take anything for granted," Dr. Edwards concludes. "His photographs trigger connections, conjure memories and remind us always to check under the bed before going to sleep."

Exhibition Credit

William Eggleston: Anointing the Overlooked is organized by the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and was made possible by the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, which has lent generously from its permanent collection. We also acknowledge the cooperation of the Eggleston Artistic Trust, Cheim and Read Gallery, New York, and the David Lusk Gallery, Memphis. 

Sponsors

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is supported in part by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

About the Frist Center

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., is an art exhibition center dedicated to presenting the finest visual art from local, regional, U.S. and international sources in a program of changing exhibitions. The Frist Center's Martin ArtQuest Gallery features interactive stations relating to Frist Center exhibitions. Gallery admission to the Frist Center is free for visitors 18 and younger and to Frist Center members. Frist Center admission is $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for seniors, military and college students with ID.  College students are admitted free Thursday and Friday evenings (with the exception of Frist Fridays), 5–9 p.m.  Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more with advance reservation by calling (615) 744-3247. The Frist Center is open seven days a week: Mondays through Wednesdays, and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sundays, 1–5:30 p.m., with the Frist Center Cafe opening at noon. Additional information is available by calling (615) 244-3340 or by visiting our Web site at www.fristcenter.org.

High-resolution images available

SOURCE Frist Center for the Visual Arts