“Stop to watch this 15-second video, an early work by William Wegman, where a simple, almost absurd act of swaying against a wall becomes a mesmerizing study in balance and vulnerability, captured with raw, experimental immediacy.”
In this brief, black-and-white video from 1970, a figure (the artist himself, William Wegman) stands facing a wall, his back to the viewer. He begins to sway gently, then more erratically, as if struggling to maintain balance. The camera, handheld and slightly shaky, emphasizes the precariousness of the moment. This early video work captures a sense of vulnerability and subtle humor, characteristic of the experimental art scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It strips away elaborate narratives to focus on a simple, almost absurd human action, inviting viewers to find meaning in the mundane. The raw, unpolished quality of the video, typical of the era's nascent video art, highlights the immediate, unedited nature of the performance.
- Artist
- William Wegman
- Date
- 1970
- Medium
- Single-channel digital video, transferred from Sony CV 1/2-inch video tape, black-and-white, sound, 15 sec.
- Location
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Collection
- Photographs
- Credit line
- Gift of William Wegman and Christine Burgin, 2017
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The subtle, almost imperceptible start of the swaying motion.
The way the artist's hands are clasped behind his back.
The stark, unadorned wall in the background.
The grainy, black-and-white texture of the early video footage.
Stand in front of it and listen
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William Wegman
1943 · United StatesWilliam Wegman is an American artist celebrated for his whimsical photographs and videos featuring his Weimaraners, often in costumes and human-like poses.
Further Works by Wegman
More works to explore
Beyond Wegman: works from the same years.
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Four Mona Lisas
Andy Warhol · 1978 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
La grande bellezza
Pierre Alechinsky · 1965
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Essai
Sam Francis · 1963 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Impregnazione
Piero Manzoni · 1958
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Alka Seltzer
Roy Lichtenstein · 1966 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Untitled (Pair of Vases)
Keith Haring · 1981 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Captain Joseph Medill Patterson
Ivan Puni · 1962 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Woman at the Piano
Philip Evergood · 1955 · Smithsonian American Art Museum
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Untitled (Brown and Gray)
Mark Rothko · 1969 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Corpse and Mirror II
Jasper Johns · 1974 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Nude under a Pine Tree
Pablo Picasso · 1959 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
The Banquet
René Magritte · 1958 · Art Institute of Chicago



