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Circus Clown c.1958
gelatin silver print
Weegee
Austrian-American
1899–1968

#handmade #photography #art #journalism #photojournalist #experimentalphotography #prism #funhouse #mirrors #opticaleffect #distortioneffectphotography #weegee #ouija #c1958 #gelatinsilverprint #modernart #opartphotography
This image shows a kaleidoscopic, mirrored photographic distortion of a circus clown, created in the style of experimental portraits by photographer Weegee (Arthur Fellig) around 1958. The composition multiplies and warps the face of the clown into a symmetrical, hypnotic pattern. Weegee famously used specialized prism and kaleidoscope lenses during his later career to create caricature-like distortions of famous and iconic figures. Considered by some to have invented tabloid photojournalism, Weegee (a.k.a Arthur Fellig) is known for his unflinching images of gangs, crime scenes, and street life in New York City, as well as his snapshots of glamorous Hollywood stars. With a reputation for being the first at the scene of a crime, Fellig cultivated his own mythology, claiming he had psychic abilities to predict crimes, and adopted the name Weegee—linked phonetically to séance-cum-boardgame Ouija—to highlight his predictive abilities. In fact, Weegee would sleep fully clothed with a police radio by his side, and kept a camera, typewriter, and darkroom equipment in the trunk of his car, enabling him to produce images with unrivalled speed. Murders and fires, Weegee once said, were his “best sellers,” his “bread and butter.” Collected by a major museum Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)|Whitney Museum of American Art|The Metropolitan Museum of Art|National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.|Museo Reina Sofia Selected exhibitions 2017 Weegee, Howard Greenberg Gallery 2014 Convergences: Selected Photographs from the Permanent Collection, J. Paul Getty Museum In Focus: Play, J. Paul Getty Museum
September 2, 2026 at 1:20 PM