Until the 1970s, color was used primarily by commercial
photographers, but William Eggleston helped a broader public shake that
association with a now-historic show at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1976
featuring color photos of his native South. Picturing commonplace details, such
as the contents of a refrigerator, a ceiling light, a storefront, or a living
room interior, Eggleston monumentalized everyday sights by treating them as
worthy subjects for art, and capturing them in bold colors. Eggleston’s work
provided a new template upon which subsequent generations of photographers
would capture the world around them in full, glorious color.