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WEEGEE
Born Usher (Arthur) Fellig, in Poland in 1899, Weegee recreated his name and persona by the intentional misspelling of "Ouija" board. It was rumored that he used this game to arrive at the scene of a crime before the police, when in fact he was using a police radio. "Weegee the Famous" (his stamp on the back of his photographs) is well known for violent images of accidents and murders in the 1930's and 1940's. In the 1950's, after a 5 year sojourn in Hollywood, the focus of his work shifted to celebrities and kaleidoscopic images. He died in 1968. He was a genius of street photography which reveals the absurdity of human endeavors and the brutality of the city. He was the author of many books, including Naked City, Weegee's People, and Naked Hollywood. Weegee was a major influence on photojournalism and on many artists-- most notably, Diane Arbus. |
