SECOND GLANCE

LIFE IN COLOR

ON DISPLAY AT CHARLESTON’S GIBBES MUSEUM OF ART, PHOTOGRAPHER WILLIAM EGGLESTON’S STRIKING IMAGES CAPTURE THE EPHEMERA OF EVERYDAY LIFE

In his photographic documentation of the rural American South, William Eggleston captures a particular place or time by focusing on the details.

Revolutionary. That’s a word often used to describe the photography of William Eggleston, whose portraits and landscapes of the American South broke new ground in the medium. Born in Memphis, Eggleston got his start in the 1950s, depicting his surroundings in black and white. But it was his work in color, capturing vivid images of the everyday, that sent shock waves through the world of fine art photography.

William Eggleston: Photographs from the Laura and Jay Crouse Collection are on display at the Gibbes Museum of Art through October 9. In conjunction with the exhibit, Gibbes is offering a photo-friendly walking tour on May 9, showcasing Charleston’s historic district and its many locations that practically beg to be captured with a phone or a camera. Also on May 9, the museum is hosting a virtual discussion from Mark Long, co-curator of the 2018 Halsey Institute at the College of Charleston exhibit Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South, who will discuss contemporary photography.—Leigh Savage

William Eggleston: Photographs from the Laura and Jay Crouse Collection. Thru October 9, 2022. Gibbes Museum of Art, Galleries 2 & 3, 135 Meeting St, Charleston. (843) 722-2706, gibbesmuseum.org

, 1971. Dye transfer print, ca. 1973, 12 5/8 x 18 7/8 inches. © Eggleston Untitled (Red Ceiling, Greenwood, Mississippi) , 1980. Dye transfer print, 1982, Untitled (Hot sauce, Louisiana) Artistic Trust, courtesy of David Zwiner New York;