William (Kross) Greiner (born September 8, 1957) in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, is an American photographer and multi-media artist living in Santa Fe, NM.

Career

Greiner began his career as a sports photographer, first working in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) at the age of 19 from 1977 to 1979. He also covered the 1981 and 1982

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

for ''Bicycling'' magazine, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

''. Greiner abandoned sports journalism to return to college, earning an A.A. from Bradford College, a B.F.A. from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Art and an M.B.A. from

Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. With 7,560 students on all campuses, it is the List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston, tenth-largest university ...

. During this period, Greiner was introduced to the work of musician/artist/photographer,

William Eggleston William Eggleston, (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition of color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include ''William Eggleston's Guide'' (1976) and ''The ...

Influences

"Well obviously (Wm.) Eggleston as I mentioned, but certainly Clarence John Laughlin, a great New Orleans photographer who has somewhat been overlooked by bigger names. Bill Owens, Ralph Eugene Meatyard,

Walker Evans Walker Evans (November 3, 1903 – April 10, 1975) was an American photographer and photojournalist best known for his work for the Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administration (FSA) documenting the effects of the Great ...

Robert Frank Robert Frank (November 9, 1924 – September 9, 2019) was a Swiss American photographer and documentary filmmaker. His most notable work, the 1958 book titled ''The Americans'', earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his ...

, too many… I love

Milton Avery Milton Clark Avery (; March 7, 1885 – January 3, 1965Haskell, B. (2003). "Avery, Milton". Grove Art Online.) was an American Modern art, modern painter. Born in Altmar, New York, he moved to Connecticut in 1898 and later to New York City. He wa ...

's work, its flatness and its condensing of the subject to just the necessary elements and details. I also appreciate

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realism painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes. Born in Nyack, New York, to a ...

for the emotional impact of his scenes.

Ralston Crawford Ralston Crawford (1906–1978) was a Canadian-born American painter, lithographer, photographer, and teacher. He is best known for his abstract representations of urban life and industry. He taught at the Cincinnati Art Academy (now Art Academy ...

is an artist I really admire; because he worked so effectively as a painter, print maker and photographer. His images of New Orleans jazz funerals are really incredible." (Blog interview Ratsalad Deluxe 2005)

Work and Publications

Greiner's first body of color work, ''The Reposed'', was acquired for the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

(New York City) permanent collection by photography curator

John Szarkowski Thaddeus John Szarkowski (December 18, 1925 – July 7, 2007) was an American photographer, curator, historian, and critic. From 1962 to 1991 Szarkowski was the director of photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Early life and ca ...

in 1991. The MOMA acquired work was exhibited in a recent acquisitions show at the museum, two years later, in 1993. This work was also published as a monograph by

LSU Press The Louisiana State University Press (LSU Press) is a university press at Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, it publishes works of scholarship as well as general interest books. LSU Press is a member of the Association of University Pres ...

in 1999, by the same title. A 30-minute documentary, ''William Greiner: Photographer'', shot and edited by Tom McDonnell, aired on PBS station WYES-TV, New Orleans, LA, in January, 1994, and PBS station WLRN-TV, Miami, FL, in June,1994.

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

(NPR) Morning Edition, in April 2000, featured an interview with Greiner, conducted by NPR affiliate station KERA reporter Bill Zeeble. Other publications include ''A New Life: Stories and Photographs from the Suburban South'', work about living in the South, published by W.W. Norton & Company; ''Visualizing the Blues''

Blues Foundation The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 blues organizations from various parts of the world. Founded in 1980, a 25-person board of directors governs t ...

Dixon Gallery and Gardens The Dixon Gallery and Gardens is an art museum within 17 acres of gardens, established in 1976, and located at 4339 Park Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The museum focuses on French and American impressionism and features works b ...

(2001); and ''The Story of the South: 1890-2003'', Ogden Museum of Southern Art/Scala Publishers, (2003); and ''Baton Rouge Blues'',

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1969 and part of the University of Alabama System, UAB has grown to be the state's largest employer, with more than ...

(2006). ''Fallen Paradise'' (New Orleans 1995-2005), and ''Land's End'' (Baton Rouge 2007-2010) were published as a limited edition artist books in 2008 and 2010 respectively. Also published in 2010 and including Greiner's work along with Alex Harris,

Edward Burtynsky Edward Burtynsky (born February 22, 1955) is a Canadian photographer and artist known for his large format photographs of industrial landscapes. His works depict locations from around the world that represent the increasing development of indust ...

and Will Steacy amongst others, was the title ''Migration: Lost and Found in America''. This was chosen as one of the Top Ten Books of the Year by ''American Photo''. In 2012, KnowLA an encyclopedia of Louisiana culture, history and community was published, which included a full biography page about Greiner and his work, written and edited by John H. Lawrence. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press (UL Press) published the title ''Show & Tell'' in 2013, a compilation of Greiner's photographs accompanied with short stories by Eric Aronin, Brett Battles, James Scott Bell, Carla Buckley, Joshua Clark, Julie Compton, Colin Costello, Sarah Crawford, Jordan Dane, Linda L. Dunlap, Ken Foster, John Gilstrap, Joe Hartlaub, Fauve Yandel Holigan, Lindsay Holst, Andrew Jasperson, Mari Kornhauser, Pat McGuinness, John Ramsey Miller, Joe Moore, Pat Piper, Renee Rosen, Shanteka Sigers (Shateka Steele), Lloyd Stein, Pam Thomas, John Kenny, Jeff Roedel, and Jenny Milchman. Greiner had his first painting/collage work, "Where I've Been, New Orleans 2014", published in the catalog ''REPARATION'' (the Luciano Benetton Collection), edited and curated by Diego Cortez, in 2014. The work was exhibited at the New Orleans Museum of Art, before being sent to Italy and the Benetton Collection. Greiner’s work was included in two recently published anthologies, ''RECKONINGS'' and ''RECONSTRUCTIONS'' (Southern Photography from The Do Good Fund), 2022, Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, and ''LOUISIANA LENS'', 2023, The Historic New Orleans Collection. UNO Press has announced they will publish Greiner’s third monograph in 2025, titled ''NEUTRAL GROUND'' (New Orleans 1990-2005).

Awards

Greiner was awarded a Louisiana Endowment for the Arts (LEA) Fellowship in 2004.

Permanent collections and exhibitions

Greiners' photographs can be found in over sixty permanent museum collections, including the

(New York City),

Ogden Museum of Southern Art The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is a museum dedicated to art by artists from the southern United States in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was established in 1999. The building The Ogden museum is located in the Warehouse Arts District of downtown ...

in New Orleans; The

Addison Gallery of American Art Addison may refer to: Places Canada * Addison, Ontario, a community United States * Addison, Alabama, a town * Addison, Illinois, a village * Addison, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Addison, Maine, a town * Addison, Michigan, a vil ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was Settler, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''Encyclopedia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed. ...

;

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

; plus the

J. Paul Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California, United States, housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. It is operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's wealthies ...

and the

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern art, modern and contemporary art museum and nonprofit organization located in San Francisco, California. SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. In 1993, Greiner's work was exhibited in a two-man show with

at the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans. ''William Eggleston and the Color Tradition'', an exhibition exploring the art of American color photography over the last 30 years, was on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum from October 26, 1999 through January 30, 2000. The exhibition included work by Greiner along with: Adam Bartos, Virginia Beahan and Laura McPhee, John Divola, Jim Dow,

Mitch Epstein Mitchell Epstein (born 1952) is an American photographer. His books include ''Vietnam: A Book of Changes'' (1997); ''Family Business'' (2003), which won the 2004 Kraszna-Krausz Photography Book Award; ''Recreation: American Photographs 1973–1988 ...

, Rhea Garen, Alex Harris, David Husom, Stephen Johnson, William Larson, and

Joel Sternfeld Joel Sternfeld (born June 30, 1944) is an American artist using photography, as well as an educator and writer. He is known for his large-format color photography of contemporary American life. His work contributed to the establishment of color ph ...

. In 2003, Greiner's work was selected to be part of ''Wait Until Dark'' along with

Lewis Baltz Lewis "Duke" Baltz (September 12, 1945 – November 22, 2014) was an American visual artist, photographer, and educator. He was an important figure in the New Topographics movement of the late 1970s.

Todd Hido Todd Hido (born 25 August 1968) is an American photographer. He has produced 17 books, had his work exhibited widely and included in various public collections. Hido is currently an adjunct professor at the California College of the Arts in San F ...

David Levinthal David Lawrence Levinthal (born March 8, 1949) is an American photographer who lives and works in New York City. He uses small toys and props with dramatic lighting to construct miniature environments for subject matters varying from war scenes to ...

, Thomas Tulis, Michael Kenna, O. Winston Link,

Richard Misrach Richard Misrach (born 1949) is an American photographer. He has photographed the deserts of the American West, and pursued projects that document the changes in the natural environment that have been wrought by various man-made factors such as u ...

George Tice George Andrew Tice (October 13, 1938 – January 16, 2025) was an American photographer. His work depicts a broad range of American life, landscape, and urban environment, mostly photographed in his native New Jersey. He lived all his life in N ...

and Henry Wessel, Jr. The exhibition took place at The

Williams College Museum of Art The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) is a college-affiliated art museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is located on the Williams College campus, close to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) and the Clark Art Institu ...

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. Located in Berkshire County, the town is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statis ...

. Along with William Claxton and Stuart Klipper, Greiner participated in a music themed exhibition at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, in

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette ( , ) is the most populous city in and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, Lafayette Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located along the Vermilion River (Louisiana), Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's List of municipaliti ...

, which ran from January to March, 2006. Klompching Gallery in New York, New York, held Greiners' first commercial solo exhibition in the New York market in 2008. Greiner participated in the group exhibition, ''Economy of Scale'', at Hemphill Fine Arts in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in 2009. The exhibition also included work by

William Christenberry William Andrew Christenberry Jr. (November 5, 1936 – November 28, 2016) was an American photographer, painter, sculptor, and teacher who drew inspiration from his childhood in Hale County, Alabama.Christenberry, William (September 28, 2007)Tim ...

, Sebastiao Salgado and

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

. Also in 2009, Greiner participate in the web-based book project, ''50 States'', along with photographers Lisa Kereszi,

Brian Ulrich Brian Ulrich (born 1971) is an American photographer known for his photographic exploration of consumer culture. Life and work Ulrich was born in Northport, New York, and lives in Providence, Rhode Island. He received a BFA in photography from Un ...

, Andrew Borowiec and Shawn Records, among others. The

Morris Museum of Art The Morris Museum of Art is an art museum in Augusta, Georgia. It was established in 1985 as a non-profit foundation by William S. Morris III, publisher of The Augusta Chronicle, in memory of his parents, as the first museum dedicated to the coll ...

held the exhibition ''Local Color: Photography in the South'', between December 2011 and January 2012, which included work by Greiner, Birney Imes,

, Dave Anderson and William Christenberry. Solo exhibitions of his work were held at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in 2008 and the

New Orleans Museum of Art The New Orleans Museum of Art (or NOMA) is the oldest art museum, fine arts museum in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, New Orleans. It is situated within City Park (New Orleans), City Park, a short distance from the intersection of Carrollton ...

in 2010. The Louisiana State University Glassell Gallery, in Baton Rouge, held a solo exhibition of Greiner's work, in fall 2013. PDNB Gallery in Dallas, TX, mounted the solo exhibition ''Leaving Love Field'', an exploration of a motorcade route to history, from November to December 2013. Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery also mounted the group exhibition, ''William Eggleston: His Circle & Beyond'' the fall of 2013. This exhibition included work by Greiner, Birney Imes, William Christenberry, and Peter Brown, among others. The

in Augusta, GA exhibited the series ''OH AUGUSTA'' in a solo exhibition, 2014. Montgomery-based gallery Triumph & Disaster mounted a group exhibition of work by Greiner, William Christenberry, Birney Imes, and William Eggleston in 2014. In 2015, Greiner participated in group exhibitions at

and David Lusk Gallery in Memphis, TN. The solo exhibition of photographs and silk screen prints, ''AUTOMATIC'' was held at STUDIO 65A in London, UK, May- June, 2015.

The Historic New Orleans Collection The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) is a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to the study and preservation of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South region of the United States. It is located in New Orl ...

acquired the collage/painting, "Seeing New Orleans" in 2015. The first non-photographic work by the artist to be acquired by an institutional collection. In 2016, Greiner had work included in group exhibitions at The Do Good Fund (a non-profit organization promoting Southern photography) in Athens, GA, Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery in Dallas, TX,

Amon Carter Museum of American Art The Amon Carter Museum of American Art (also known as the Carter) is located in Fort Worth, Texas, in the city's cultural district. The museum's permanent collection features paintings, photography, sculpture, and works on paper by leading arti ...

, ArtSpace 111 (both in Fort Worth TX) and The Louisiana Arts and Science Museum in Baton Rouge, LA. The collage/painting titled "Not Sherman's March, GA 2014", was purchased by the

in January 2017. "NEAR & FAR", a project including photographs, collage, painting and sculpture was exhibited in a dual exhibition with Nancy Lamb in Fort Worth, TX at Artspace 111, December 2016-February, 2017.

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...

acquired the photograph "Where Mary Moorman Stood, 2013." This work was part of a large collection of photographs and collages tilted, "Leaving Love Field." Greiner participated in ''Past/Present/Future'', a summer group exhibition at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, held September 22–October 23, 2017. His work was also featured in Hattiesburg, MS at The University of Southern Mississippi in ''Portraits of Southerners: Photographs from The Do Good Fund'' exhibition, October 12–November 3, 2017. The

in New Orleans, held ''The Colourful South'' exhibition, June 10, 2017 – October 26, 2017, which explored the role color photography has played in the history of Southern photography and beyond. The exhibition featured five pioneers in color photography: William Christenberry, Birney Imes, William Greiner, William Ferris and Alec Soth. The

in Augusta, GA mounted the exhibition ''Acquired and Restored: Recent Additions to the Permanent Collection'', September 16 to December 31, 2017, which included a photograph by Greiner. The

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

, acquired seven portraits of prominent British citizens by Greiner in 2017. Subjects included John Byrne, playwright,

Ben Brown (journalist) Benjamin Russell Brown (born 26 May 1960) is an English journalist and news presenter best known for presenting BBC News programmes, including '' News at One'' and '' Weekend News''. Early life Benjamin Russell Brown was born on 26 May 1960 i ...

and London based street photographer Dougie Wallace, amongst others. In 2017, Greiner produced a limited edition portfolio of New Orleans Mardi Gras portraits, titled ''NEW ORLEANS - 2017''. Examples were acquired for permanent collection by

and The Do Good Fund. In 2018, the limited edition portraits portfolio, ''NEW ORLEANS 2017,'' was acquired by both The Historic New Orleans Collection and The Do Good Fund, Columbus GA. Artspace111 in Fort Worth, TX, featured Greiner in three exhibitions in 2018: A group show titled, ''Sussie- An exhibition of Small Works,'' opened December 7, 2017 - January 27, 2018. This was followed by ''City Symphony'', a group exhibition that ran February 7 - March 17, 2018. A two-man exhibition, featuring painter Dan Blagg and William Greiner, titled ''Urban Alterations'', opened on October 1 - December 1, 2018. A portraits exhibition, ''MASKED/UNMASKED'' featured a group of New Orleans portraits by Greiner. The exhibition was held at the Fort Worth Community Art Center, July 6–27, 2018. The Montgomery Museum of Art, in conjunction with The Do Good Fund, featured a selection of Greiner’s works in the show, ''Views of the South'', September 29, 2018 - January 6, 2019. The

opened ''LOCAL COLOR - Photography in the South'', on December 8, 2018 thru February 17, 2019. The exhibition included one of Greiner’s best known images from the monograph, ''The Reposed; Blue Heart, Houma LA 1989'' In 2019, The LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, LA , acquired the limited edition portraits portfolio ''NEW ORLEANS 2017''. PDNB Gallery in Dallas TX., opened ''HOUSES FOR SALE'', featuring a selection of images from Greiner's series, ''Homefront''. The exhibition also featured work by

Bill Owens (photographer) Bill Owens (born September 25, 1938) is an American photographer, photojournalist, brewer and editor living in Hayward, California. He is best known for his photographs of suburban domestic scenes taken in the East Bay and published in the book ' ...

Chris Verene Christopher Phillip Verene (born October 29, 1969) is an American fine arts and documentary photographer, performance artist, and musician. He is a professor of photography at the College of Staten Island, CUNY. Verene was awarded a Guggenheim ...

, Keith Carter and

Jason Lee (actor) Jason Michael Lee (born April 25, 1970) is an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and former professional skateboarder. He is known for playing Earl Hickey in the television comedy series ''My Name Is Earl'', for which he was nominated for G ...

. The show ran January 5 - March 2, 2019. The Westmont Ridley - Tree Museum held the exhibition, ''WATERSHEW - Contemporary Landscape Photography'', January 18 - March 23, 2019. The image, "TV in Bayou, Chalmette, LA 1994" is featured. The Historic New Orleans Collection exhibited ''Art of the City: Postmodern to Post-Katrina'' in April 2019''.'' In December 2020, the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

(United States) acquired the portrait "William Eggleston L.A. CA 1999”. The Fort Worth Community Art Center, Fort Worth, TX, mounted the multi-displinary project, ''UNUSUAL POLITICS'', which included paintings, drawings, photographs, collage, prints and sculpture, in the summer of 2020. Greiner’s color photographs and collages were also featured in two group exhibitions at Artspace111 in Fort Worth during the 2020 exhibition season. A new sculptural series, titled ''Aspirational Recycling'', was conceived and executed in 2020. In 2022, The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA, acquired the portrait, "William Eggleston L.A. CA 1999." Along with Dallas-based abstract painter Matt Clark, Greiner participated in a collaborative photography/painting project titled, ''The Space Between'', with well received exhibitions at Conduit Gallery (Dallas, TX) and ArtspaceIII (Fort Worth, TX). A third exhibition of new collaborative work from this series will be exhibited at The Webster Collection (Santa Fe NM) in May 2024.

Bibliography

* ''A New Life'' * ''Migration: Lost and Found in America'' (2010)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greiner, William American photographers Artists from Louisiana 1957 births Living people