William Wegman

Curated by Trevor Fairbrother

Since 1970, William Wegman has marketed himself and his kennel of canine celebrities so well (and so far outside the precincts of contemporary art) that it’s hard to formulate a critical take. But here are three attempts: (1) Wegman is a canny critical artist, the most literal (mis)reader of Smithson’s site/non-site dialectic yet; (2) he’s learned Warhol’s “business art” model all too well; (3) he’d be nowhere without the adorable pooches, the most famous in America since Benji. Through more than 260 photographs, drawings, paintings, collages, books, and videos from 1968 to today, this show, organized by the Addison Gallery, may show which description fits. Now go chase the ball.

Travels to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, July 4–Sept. 24; Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL, Nov. 4, 2006–Jan. 28, 2007; Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA, Apr. 7–July 31, 2007.