William Wegman

William Wegman is an American artist best known is known for his photographic images featuring dogs-primarily his own Weimaraners-in various costumes and poses, and with an array of props.. "My Weimaraners are perfect fashion models," he said of his subjects. "Their elegant, slinky forms are covered in grey-and grey, everyone knows, goes with anything." 

He initially worked largely with conceptual video work before incorporating his dog named Man Ray, named after the famed Surrealist artist. In the 1970s Spelling Lesson, Man Ray sits looking quizzical, while Wegman, deadpan, reviews the results of the dog's spelling test. The result of these unique man-and-dog collaborations were "artworks in which the rigours of conceptualism got wrecked on the shoals of canine indifference."

Soon his work was primarily photography, positioning the dog with various humorous props, perhaps dressed in wigs, elaborate costumes, or absurdly anthropomorphised with human hands and feet. Wegman later used a Polaroid 20 x 24 camera with Fay Ray-Man Ray's successor. Her litter would then feature heavily into Wegman's staged photography and film.

William Wegman lives in New York and Maine where he continues to paint, draw, make videos and take photographs with his dogs Flo and Topper.