William Eggleston an iconic figure was born in 1939 in Memphis. His photographs have influenced artists from around the world. His images have been displayed in museums from Paris to New York to Tokyo.
Next to Elvis Presley, he is probably the second-most important artist out of Memphis. William brought color photography to everyday life and made it an acceptable art form.
A local group of anonymous donors are planning to build a $15 million contemporary art museum focused on his work. $ 5 million has already been pledged. The project is spearheaded by Mark Crosby who helped launch the Stax Museum of American Soul Music and Winston Eggleston, Williams son. They are considering three locations.
- Overton Square
- Overton Park
- The Crosstown Neighborhood
Eggleston has more than 60,000 unique images.
The bulk of his trust’s revenue comes from new print sales. Each year, Eggleston’s representative, the Cheim & Read gallery in New York City, stages a how selling limited editions of prints, generally numbering 15 or less, with each ranging from $8,000 to $80,000. The market for classic Eggleston pieces from the ’70s – particularly highly sought after images like “The Tricycle” and “Red Ceiling” has exploded.
"The Tricycle"
"Red Ceiling"
