James Welling’s Photography Exhibit Opens at the Hammer Museum

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James Welling. 'Gelatin Photograph 40,' inkjet print, 30 in x 40 in, 1984. | Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, New York/London.

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James Welling. '04,' inkjet print, 50 in x 40 in, 2008. | Courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects, Los Angeles.

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James Welling. '019,' chromogenic print, 46 in x 37 in, 2006. | Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, New York/London.

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James Welling. '021R,' chromogenic print, 46 in x 37 in, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, New York/London.

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James Welling. '0469,' inkjet print, 33 11/16 in x 50 1/2 in, 2009. | Courtesy of Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.

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James Welling. '9771,' inkjet print, 32 5/8 x 21 5/8 in, 2009. | Courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects, Los Angeles.

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James Welling. 'Easel,' inkjet print, 42 in x 28 in, 2010. | Courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects, Los Angeles.

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James Welling. 'January 7,' chromogenic print from original Polaroid color print, 2 1/4 in x 3 1/4 in, 1976. | Collection of the artist.

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James Welling. 'Marguerite Moreau,' inkjet print, 22 in x 17 in, 2005. | Collection of the artist.

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James Welling. 'West, Guilford, CT,' selenium toned gelatin silver print, 6 3/4 in x 5 in, 1989. | Collection of the artist.

On Sunday (Sept. 29), the Hammer Museum in Westwood opens Monograph, a retrospective of CalArts alumnus James Welling’s (Art BFA 72, MFA 74) photography. This is the only West Coast venue for the show, which collects nearly 200 photographs, including Welling’s important early works from the 1970s.

Welling’s body of work includes representational and abstract photography; black and white and color; film-based and digital photos and camera-less photography. Monograph aims to link his extensive and diverse practice by “examining the primary threads that run through them all.”

More from the press release:

Operating in the hybrid ground between painting, sculpture, and traditional photography, Welling is first and foremost a photographic practitioner enthralled with the possibilities of the medium. His wide ranging subjects and techniques are in themselves an investigation into so many different aspects of photography…

Monograph will also include works from Welling’s personal archive, including drawings and watercolors. A small painting made by his great-grandfather, as well as gels and negatives drawn from his personal collection are also featured to give audiences a broader context for his work and a deeper insight into his process.

The catalog James Welling: Monograph accompanies the exhibition. Designed by CalArts faculty member Lorraine Wild and Amy Fortunato and published by Aperture, the catalog includes essays by curators James Crump, Mark Godfrey and Thomas Seelig, as well as an interview with the artist by Eva Respini.

On Sept. 29, Welling, together with Crump and Hammer Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs Cynthia Burlingham lead an exhibition walk-through. Other artists, scholars and colleagues scheduled to give similar tours during Monograph’s run include Wild and artist and CalArts alumna Zoe Crosher (Art MFA 01).

Update: Listen to Lisa Napoli and Hunter Drohojowska-Philp discuss Welling’s photography and the Hammer retrospective on KCRW’s Art Talk.