{"data":{"id":"4571","type":"artist","attributes":{"id":4571,"topgoose_id":200,"tms_id":4571,"display_name":"Weegee","sort_name":"Weegee (Arthur Fellig)","display_date":"1899–1968","begin_date":"1899","end_date":"1968","biography":"\u003cp\u003eArthur Fellig, the photojournalist who\nwent by the name Weegee, elevated\ntabloid news photography to an art form.\nWorking as a freelance news photographer\nin New York from 1935 to 1947, he\nrevealed the dark underbelly of the city—\nviolent crime scenes, arrests, fires, and\nother urban mayhem. Although the\nprimary intention of Weegee’s work was\ndocumentary, his photographs betray an\naesthetic consideration and psychological\ncontent that transcend the reportorial.\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWeegee unflinchingly captured\nthe events and individuals involved, but also\nincluded the raw reactions of people\nat the perimeter of the scene, including\nofficials, relatives of the subjects, and\nbystanders. In addition to appearing\nregularly in New York daily newspapers\nand in syndication throughout the country,\nWeegee’s “film noir” portrayals of New\nYork life and its menagerie of disparate city\ndwellers were published in two popular\nbooks in this period: \u003cem\u003eNaked City \u003c/em\u003e(1945)\nand \u003cem\u003eWeegee’s People\u003c/em\u003e (1946).\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"/collection/works/10440\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMember of Murder Inc. Got the Chair\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\ndisplays many classic elements of Weegee’s\nbrash style. The flashbulb’s sudden white\nglare catches the intense moment when\nan accused murderer descends from a\npolice wagon and hides his face, while the\nplacid expressions on nearby officials\nstrangely contrast with the gruesome and\nsensational scope of the story. The “Murder\nInc.” of the title references the name given\nby the press to the notorious Brooklyn-\nbased ring of hit men that operated within\norganized crime. The group was eventually\ndisbanded as many of its members,\nlike the gangster in this news shot, were\nsentenced to the electric chair.\u003c/p\u003e","on_view":false,"artport":false,"biennial":false,"collection":true,"ulan_id":"500032312","wikidata_id":"Q445857","created_at":"2017-08-30T15:32:48.000-04:00","updated_at":"2026-04-09T07:02:08.938-04:00","links":{"artworks":"/api/artists/4571/artworks","exhibitions":"/api/artists/4571/exhibitions"}}}}