Ancient & Modern

by William Eggleston

A photographic essay on the American South, Africa, and England depicts subjects and objects from everyday life--the inside of an oven, a tricycle, and landscapes. 10,000 first printing.

Genres: Photography

Hardcover

First published October 27, 1992

About the author

Born in Memphis and raised in Sumner, Mississippi, William Eggleston was, even in youth, more interested in art and observing the world around him than in the more popular southern boyhood pursuits of hunting and sports. While he dabbled in obtaining an education at a succession of colleges including Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, he became interested in the work of Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson, and began taking black and white photographs with the Leica camera a friend had given him. He began experimenting with color photography in 1965. Although processes for color photography had existed in various forms since the turn of the century, at that time it still was not considered a medium for fine art, and was mostly relegated to the world of advertising.

Eggleston was the first photographer to have a solo show of color prints at the MoMA in 1976. Accompanied by the release of the book William Eggleston's Guide, it was a watershed moment in the history of photography.

Reviews

[Rob GQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.00

[Davy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first broad overviews of Eggleston’s work, covering several distinct series from the 60s through the 80s. It’s a successful overview with a lucid and compelling introduction.

There have been many Eggleston books and anthologies published since this one came out in 1992, and many of those volumes feature higher quality reproductions. But Ancient & Modern is still worth a look, primarily because it draws heavily from Eggleston’s lesser-known artist books and paid commissions — sets of cloud and flower pictures, industrial-themed series, and dispatches from a variety of exotic locations. The Egypt and Graceland series, in particular, were revelations to me. This book is still relevant — fans and scholars shouldn’t disregard it.

[Diann Blakely]

(please see review of the Hasselblad Award catalogue for a brief review of ANCIENT AND MODERN, which was published shortly before the former)

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eggleston is just fantastic. This is a good collection of color photographs.