Jeff Wall

Jeff Wall's art blends photography's core elements with elements from painting, cinema, and literature, forming what he terms "cinematography." His work spans various genres, from conventional reportage to intricate constructions and montages, often produced on a larger scale traditionally associated with painting.

Biography of Jeff Wall

Born in 1946 in Vancouver, Canada, Wall began engaging with photography in the 1960s during the Conceptual art era. He earned his MA from the University of British Columbia in 1970. In the subsequent decade, his primary focus was on academia, and he had the privilege of studying under the renowned British historian T.J. Clark at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

By the mid-1970s, the artist had incorporated the spirit of experimentation from Conceptualism into his unique style of pictorial photography. His use of backlit color transparencies, initially associated with publicity rather than photographic art, had a remarkable impact, contributing to the recognition of color as a significant element in the aesthetics of photography.

In 2012, a print of one of his works, "Dead Troops Talk" (1993), made history by setting auction records at Christie's, becoming the third most expensive photograph ever sold at that time. Today, his art has found a home in esteemed collections, including the Tate Gallery in London, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, among others.

The artist currently resides and practices his art in his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

Jeff Wall's Art Style

Some of Jeff Wall's early works pay homage to the history of image-making by referencing other artworks. For instance, "The Destroyed Room" (1978) explores themes of violence and eroticism inspired by Eugène Delacroix's monumental painting "The Death of Sardanapalus" (1827), while "Picture for Women" (1979) echoes Édouard Manet's "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère" (1882) and contextualizes it within the cultural politics of the late 1970s. These artworks exemplify Wall's "blatant artifice" approach, emphasizing the theatricality of their subject and the production.

Another significant aspect of Wall's work is the 'near-documentary,' where his photographs resemble a documentary style but are created in collaboration with the people depicted. Wall typically collaborated with nonprofessional models, reminiscent of the neorealism of 1950s and 1960s Italian cinema. He crafted images of everyday moments imbued with complex meanings. By depicting incidents he witnesses but without capturing them at the moment, he explores formal and dramatic possibilities for pictures, inviting contemplation on the effects and meanings of documentary photographs.

Since the mid-1990s, Wall has expanded his artistic range, working with both traditional black-and-white prints and, more recently, inkjet color prints.