William Eggleston: Spirit of Dunkerque

William Eggelston has a unique ability to find beauty and striking displays of color in ordinary scenes. His idea of the democratic camera posits that by looking patiently at what others ignore, or turn away from, interesting things can be seen. Like his previous works on Plains. Georgia and Los Alamos, New Mexico, Spirit of Dunkerque contains quiet, haunting photos of the industrial port city of Dunkerque, France, each masterfully composed and bursting with unexpected color. Pictures of the ports cargo tanks and ships are blended with intermittent reminders of the natural world surrounding the industrial center, each simultaneously static and dynamic. Egglestons was the first solo exhibition of color photography at the Museum of Modern Art. He is known for his association with the Warhol crowd in the seventies and for his starkly beautiful camera work.