WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›William Larson

William Larson

American, 1942–2019

WA-00050471

Photography

Representation

None documented

Institutional Exhibitions

Works in Collection

Assets Indexed

Authority-backed Facts

Publications Referenced

60%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Field Verification (4 fields)

3 cross-verified · 1 single-source

Is PublishedPath D Subcohort3 Directory 2026-05-23· 100%✓
Birth yearArtsy· 85%✓
NationalityArtsy· 85%✓
LocationArtsy· 85%

Source Registry (1)

Aicsub-cohort-3-backfill:aic
Tier 3 · Scraped/inferred50%

About

Why this artist matters now

William Larson was an American photographer whose conceptual work interrogated the relationship between photographic technology and artistic meaning. Working from North Tonawanda, New York, he developed innovative approaches to the medium that questioned photography's claims to objectivity and documentation. His practice became influential in expanding what photography could express beyond representation, positioning the camera itself as subject rather than neutral tool.

Source: Aic · Trust score: 50% · Updated 1mo ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

—

Medium

Photography

Related Artists

6 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Art Institute of ChicagoChicago

Canonical record

Artworks (5)

Atlantic City Bicentennial Celebration

1976 · Computer generated print out, from the portfolio "Underware" (1976)

31.2 × 29.4 cm (12 5/16 × 11 5/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Untitled, from the "Fireflies" series

1972 · electrocarbon transmission print

Image: 28 x 21.4 cm (11 x 8 7/16 in.); Paper: 28 x 21.7 cm (11 x 8 9/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Untitled

1972 · Chromogenic print, from the portfolio Crackerjacks, 1977

24.4 × 24.1 cm (9 5/8 × 9 1/2 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Untitled, from the "Fireflies" series

1969 · electrocarbon transmission print

Image: 28 x 21.6 cm (11 x 8 1/2 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

WattsOS

Figure in Motion

1966 · gelatin silver print

Image: 6 x 23 cm (2 3/8 x 9 1/16 in.); Paper: 17.9 x 28 cm (7 1/16 x 11 in.); Matted: 30.6 x 45.7 cm (12 1/16 x 18 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Artwork sources (2)

5 published of 5 catalogued · 2 with image

Cleveland Museum of Art
3 published
Art Institute Chicago
2 published2 img

Per-Artwork Provenance Chains (top 3)

3 entries · 1 sources

Untitled, from the "Fireflies" series
1969 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Untitled, from the "Fireflies" series
1972 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Figure in Motion
1966 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number

Record

Images

Artsy

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

Collections1

Art Institute of Chicago

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Record

Exhibitions and timeline

No exhibitions or timeline entries yet