An expatriate American artist living in Germany, Will McBride rose to fame in the 1960s as a pre-eminent documentary photographer. His photo essays appeared regularly in various German magazines, work that quickly established him as a definitive chronicler of the Kennedy and Adenauer years.
Will McBride has been a controversial artist. His U.S. publisher withdrew from publication Mcbride’s extraordinary sex education book, Show Me, although it was never officially banned. It became widely available in German, Dutch, and other language editions. Now considered rare, it is again available in the US through bookfinder.com, amazon.com, and other book sites. His work has the gritty, involved quality of 1950s photographers such as William Klein and Ed van der Elsken, both clear influences on McBride. Their aesthetic was to break down the barrier between subject and artist, for the artist to become “engaged,” to participate in the milieu of the photograph as an insider. It was an aesthetic with political overtones, one advocated by Sartre and the French Existentialists. Photography was an attempt to remove space between lens and subject, to eschew the posed, hard-edged formalism of the Bauhaus.
McBride has also created an impressive body of studio work, influenced by his early training as a painter. Much of this work was done at his Italian studio. There are references to DaVinci, and through DaVinci and the Renaissance to the Greeks. The studio nudes are sculpture set in motion, reflecting McBride’s abhorrence of the static. Bodies are twisting, contorting. Throughout his career McBride has also painted. The paintings are in some way a continuation of the aesthetic of the documentary photographs. In the paintings he gives free rein to his anti-war politics. They are passionate, politically angry, moral and ethical judgments on his times. He has recently begun making videos. As he says, “Everything is composed of atoms. Everything is in motion. Nothing is still.” Is this not as well a description of the artistic imagination?
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Gelatine silver prints
Color prints
Oil paintings
Rare lithograph
WM0A. Will McBRIDE.
Patrick Koschvek in Casoli, 1978.
Original gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso;
an early print made in late 1978 or early 1979; the second artist's print made and
the only other to date; fine condition; never exhibited nor published. RARE.
€ 1000.00
WM0B. Will McBRIDE.
Patrick Koschvek in Casoli, 1978.
Original gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso;
an early print made in late 1978 or early 1979; the second artist's print made and
the only other to date; fine condition; never exhibited nor published. RARE.
SOLD
WM0C. Will McBRIDE.
Sergej Koschvek in Casoli, 1978.
Original gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso;
an early print made in late 1978 or early 1979; the second artist's print made and
the only other to date; one corner bent; crack in paper verso not showing
onto recto; crack along right margin one inch off image;
a very atmospheric print; never exhibited nor published. RARE.
€ 1000.00
WM0D. Will McBRIDE.
Patrick, Kristen, Sergej in Casoli, 1978.
Original gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso;
an early print made in late 1978 or early 1979; the second artist's print made and
the only other to date; a very strong atmospheric print, in fine condition; never exhibited nor published. RARE.
SOLD
WM0E. Will McBRIDE.
Sergej in Casoli, 1979.
Original gelatine silver print; 50 x 60 cm; signed, titled, and dated (1980) verso;
an EARLY EXHIBITION PRINT made in 1980 and the only copy to date in this size; a light crease to white margin
far off the image, some wear to edges of paper, one very slight surface dent, but a near fine, atmospheric image.
NOTE: Large format prints from this era are RARE for McBride.
SOLD
NOTE: See also WM15 below, the only image from this series exhibited and printed.
WM01. Will McBRIDE.
Uli: Eyes Shut, 1979.
Gelatine silver print, first printed 2005; 40 x 30 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Unpublished.
€ 1000.00
WM02. Will McBRIDE.
Uli: Eyes Open, 1979.
Gelatine silver print, first printed 2005; 40 x 30 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Unpublished.
€ 1000.00
WM03. Will McBRIDE.
Uli Hager in Casoli, 1978.
Gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Published in Situationen/Projekte, in Boys, and in Coming of Age.
SOLD
WM04. Will McBRIDE.
Uli in Munich, 1979.
Gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Unpublished variant of photo in Situationen/Projekte.
SOLD
WM05. Will McBRIDE.
Uli Hager, Casoli, first session, 1979.
Gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Published in Situationen/Projekte, variant in Boys.
€ 1000.00
WM06. Will McBRIDE.
Uli Hager with Wall Drawing, 1979.
Gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Published in Situationen/Projekte.
€ 1000.00
WM07. Will McBRIDE.
Boy Visitors in Casoli, c. 1980.
Gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Published in Boys.
SOLD
WM08. Will McBRIDE.
Two Milanese Brothers, 1979.
Gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Variant of photo published in Boys.
€ 1000.00
WM09. Will McBRIDE.
Oliviero in Casoli Kicking Soccer Ball, front, 1979.
Gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed, titled verso;
margins with creases not into image.
Unpublished.
€ 1000.00
WM10. Will McBRIDE.
Oliviero in Casoli Kicking Soccer Ball, back, 1979.
Gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed, titled verso;
margins with creases not into image.
Unpublished.
€ 1000.00
WM11. Will McBRIDE.
Uli Reclining in Locker Room, 1979.
Gelatine silver print; 30 x 40 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Unpublished.
€ 1000.00
WM12. Will McBRIDE.
Uli Posing for Statue, Casoli, 1978.
Gelatine silver print; 30 x 40 cm; signed, titled verso.
Published in Situationen.
€ 1000.00
WM13. Will McBRIDE.
Uli in Locker, right side, 1979.
Gelatine silver print, first printed 2005; 30 x 40 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
RARE. Only a few of this image were printed. Photo printed not quite straight on page,
but vg+ of a scarce work. Unpublished.
€ 1000.00
WM14. Will McBRIDE.
Uli in Locker, back view, 1979.
Gelatine silver print, first printed 2005; 30 x 40 cm;
signed and titled in pencil verso. Unpublished.
A BEAUTIFUL ATMOSPHERIC PRINT.
€ 1000.00
WM15. Will McBRIDE.
Sergej & Patrick Wrestling, Casoli, 1978-79.
Gelatine silver print, first printed 2005; 30 x 40 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Published in Boys.
€ 1000.00
WM16. Will McBRIDE.
Boy Guest, Casoli, 1976.
Gelatine silver print; 30 x 40 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Unpublished.
€ 1000.00
WM17. Will McBRIDE.
Boys Pose for Locker Room Painting, Casoli, c. 1980.
Gelatine silver print; 30 x 40 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Unpublished, with three variants in Boys.
SOLD
WM18. Will McBRIDE.
Uli Hager in Frankfurt, first session, 1982.
Gelatine silver print; 30 x 40 cm; signed and titled in pencil verso.
Published in Coming of Age.
€ 1000.00
WM19. Will McBRIDE.
Markus Nude at Window, Casoli, 1979.
Gelatine silver print; 40 x 30 cm; signed, numbered and titled in pencil verso.
Published in Coming of Age.
€ 1000.00
WM20. Will McBRIDE.
Gay Lovers, Frankfurt, 1986.
Gelatine silver print, printed later; image size 54 x 37.5 cm (60 x 50 cm sheet);
signed and titled in pencil verso. Published in Will McBride (see Bibliography below).
IMPRESSIVE EXHIBITION PRINT; ONLY KNOWN COPY IN THIS SIZE.
€ 2200.00
WM21. Will McBRIDE.
Friends in Casoli, 1974.
Gelatine silver print mounted on board; 60 x 50 cm;
signed and titled in pencil beneath image and also annotated verso.
Published in Boys. RARE EXHIBITION PRINT. The only copy ever made in this format,
for an exhibition at Gundlach Gallery in Hamburg, c. 1978; a bit of curling at edges but
a very fine print.
Inscribed by McBride below image as follows: “As we went on, the one
boy’s cock got bigger and bigger and he was embarrassed but pleased at this. So was his friend.”
€ 2200.00
WMC01. Will McBRIDE.
Nude boys in locker room, 1976.
Original, Advanced C print, 70 x 100 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso; in a limited edition of only 10 copies; fine.
€ 4700.00
WMC02. Will McBRIDE.
Two boys in locker room, 1976.
Original, Advanced C print, 70 x 100 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso; in a limited edition of only 10 copies; fine.
€ 4700.00
WMC03. Will McBRIDE.
Uli undressing in locker room, 1979.
Original, Advanced C print, 70 x 100 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso; in a limited edition of only 10 copies; fine.
€ 4700.00
WMC04. Will McBRIDE.
Boys with baby, 1978.
Original, Advanced C print, 100 x 70 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso; in a limited edition of only 10 copies; fine.
€ 4700.00
WMC05. Will McBRIDE.
Uli in locker, 1979.
Original, Advanced C print, 100 x 70 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso; in a limited edition of only 10 copies; fine.
€ 4700.00
WMC06. Will McBRIDE.
Nino in Casoli, 1983.
Original, Advanced C print, 100 x 70 cm; signed, titled, and dated verso; in a limited edition of only 10 copies; fine.
€ 4700.00
NOTE ON COLOR PROCESS: The prints are large format colorfast C prints. The first C prints were not proven to be colorfast over a period of decades, but the new processes use digitally enhanced application techniques, new inks, and better paper to produce prints that have an indefinite life span. Note also that the surfaces of these photographs are rich and painterly. McBride, in fact, likens them to oil paintings. Because of their size and the delicate surface texture, great care is taken in shipment. Contact us for shipping costs when ordering.
WM-P01. Will McBRIDE.
Boys in water.
Oil on canvas, 80 x 60 cm; signed; 1998.
€ 14,000.00
WM-P02. Will McBRIDE.
Boy Dressing.
Oil on canvas, 80 x 60 cm; signed; 2005.
€ 6000.00
WM-P03. Will McBRIDE.
Skateboarder on half pipe.
Oil on canvas, 85 x 70 cm; signed; 2001.
€ 5000.00
WM-P04. Will McBRIDE.
David R. with Sissy.
Oil on canvas, 130 x 100 cm; signed; 2001.
€ 17,000.00
WM-P05. Will McBRIDE.
Boy Undressing.
Oil on canvas, 70 x 80 cm; signed; 2003.
€ 5000.00
WM-P06. Will McBRIDE.
War Games (detail).
Oil on canvas, 170 x 250 cm; signed; 2000.
NOTE: One in a series of anti-war works.
€ 10,000.00
WM-P07. Will McBRIDE.
Water gun boys.
Oil on canvas, 70 x 100 cm; signed; 2002.
NOTE: One in a series of anti-war works.
€ 6000.00
WML01. Will McBRIDE.
Locker Room Nude.
Original lithograph c. 1960s; 39 x 26 cm; signed and inscribed lower margin beneath
image; vg+. Only one copy was ever made of Will McBride’s only lithograph. The original
lithographic stone was lost. The rarest of all of McBride’s print work. Unpublished.
€ 4950.00
To buy Will McBride’s books from amazon.com, click on these links:
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NOTE: Except for the five titles offered for sale elsewhere on this page, the following titles by Will McBride are not for sale and are only listed for reference. A good source for his out-of-print titles is www.bookfinder.com
• Adenauer. Berlin: Josef Keller, 1965.
• The Sex Book: A Modern Pictorial Encyclopaedia. London: Herder & Herder, 1971.
• Show Me. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1975.
• Foto-Tagebuch. Berlin: Frolich & Kaufmann, 1982.
• Siddhartha. Kehl on Rhine: Swan Verlag, 1982.
• Boys. Munich: Bucher, 1988.
• Zeig mal mehr! Text by Frank Herrath, Uwe Sieler. Weinheim: Beltz, 1988.
• Situationen/Projekte/Ein Fotobuch. Aachen: Rimbaud, 1992.
• Will McBride. Frankfurt/Main: Editions Stemmle, 1992.
• My Sixties. Cologne: Benedikt Taschen, 1994.
• I, Will McBride. Cologne: Könemann, 1997.
• Coming of Age. Millerton, NY: Aperture, 1999.
• Mein Italien. Munich: Knesebeck Verlag, 2003.
• MILLAR, Lynn & Will McBRIDE, Berlin und die Berliner von Amerikanern Gesehen (Berlin
Through American Eyes). Berlin: IM Rembrandt Verlag, 1958.
• FUSCO, Paul. & Will McBRIDE, The Photo Essay. How to Share Action and Ideals Through
Pictures. Los Angeles: Alskog, 1974.
• MORAN, Tom (ed.), How to Communicate with Pictures: Petersen’s Masters of Contemporary Photographs. Photographs by Paul Fusco & Will McBride. Los Angeles: Petersen Publishing/Alskog, 1974.