Will McBride

(American, 1931–2015)

Will McBride was an American artist known for his black-and-white photographs documenting youth culture in postwar Germany. His work remains controversial for its frank and explicit depiction of sexuality, as evidenced in his Show Me! (1974) and Coming Of Age (1999) photobooks which were intended to educate children and adolescents about their developing bodies. Born on January 10, 1931 in St. Louis, MO, McBride studied privately with Norman Rockwell while attending the University of Vermont, before transferring to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and finishing his degree at Syracuse University in 1953. Serving in the Army brought him to Germany in the mid-1950s, after his tour of duty he settled in Berlin where he became fascinated with documenting the rapid rebuilding of West Germany and its effect on youth culture. Many consider McBride’s working method as a forerunner to the visceral self-documentation seen later in the photographs of Nan Goldin and Wolfgang Tillmans. Toward the end of his life, McBride switched his focus towards producing painting and sculpture. He died on January 29, 2015 in Berlin, Germany at the age of 84. Today, the artist’s work are held in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Related Categories

Contemporary Art, Contemporary Realism, Photography

Related Artists

Robert Mapplethorpe, Irving Penn, Norman Rockwell, Garry Winogrand

Will McBride Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Will McBride (742 results)
Pause in Les Beaux bei Arles / A Quick Rest..., 1978

Will McBride

Pause in Les Beaux bei Arles / A Quick Rest..., 1978

Sale Date: June 12, 2015

Auction Closed

ROMY IN PARIS, 1964

Will McBride

ROMY IN PARIS, 1964

Sale Date: June 3, 2015

Auction Closed

PAPPKARTONSTADT, 1970

Will McBride

PAPPKARTONSTADT, 1970

Sale Date: June 3, 2015

Auction Closed

Will McBride

"JUNGE WÄRMT SICH AM ASPHALT NEBEN DEM..., 1956

Sale Date: June 3, 2015

Auction Closed

FLORENCE STREET, 1957

Will McBride

FLORENCE STREET, 1957

Sale Date: June 3, 2015

Auction Closed

Mann in der Bernauer Straße, Berlin [Man in..., 1961

Will McBride

Mann in der Bernauer Straße, Berlin [Man in..., 1961

Sale Date: May 29, 2015

Auction Closed

Mike, der sich wäscht, Schloßschule Salem..., 1963

Will McBride

Mike, der sich wäscht, Schloßschule Salem..., 1963

Sale Date: May 29, 2015

Auction Closed

Berlin Friedrichstraße, 1961

Will McBride

Berlin Friedrichstraße, 1961

Sale Date: May 29, 2015

Auction Closed

Berlin Friedrichstraße, Checkoint Charlie, 1961

Will McBride

Berlin Friedrichstraße, Checkoint Charlie, 1961

Sale Date: May 29, 2015

Auction Closed

Showing Baby at Wall, Berlin, 1962

Will McBride

Showing Baby at Wall, Berlin, 1962

Sale Date: May 19, 2015

Auction Closed

Der Flaschen Spiel, Berlin, 1959

Will McBride

Der Flaschen Spiel, Berlin, 1959

Sale Date: May 19, 2015

Auction Closed

Ende vom jungen Boxer, München, 1961

Will McBride

Ende vom jungen Boxer, München, 1961

Sale Date: May 19, 2015

Auction Closed

Umarmung, 1970

Will McBride

Umarmung, 1970

Sale Date: May 21, 2015

Auction Closed

Michel et Cathy aux Baux-de-Provence près..., 1975

Will McBride

Michel et Cathy aux Baux-de-Provence près..., 1975

Sale Date: May 5, 2015

Auction Closed

Kennedy, Willy Brandt, Konrad Adenauer vorm..., 1963

Will McBride

Kennedy, Willy Brandt, Konrad Adenauer vorm..., 1963

Sale Date: April 17, 2015

Auction Closed

Victor + Tana splashing in Stream near..., 1962

Will McBride

Victor + Tana splashing in Stream near..., 1962

Sale Date: April 17, 2015

Auction Closed

Raufen in Jan's Zimmer, Berlin Zehlendorf W. , 1959

Will McBride

Raufen in Jan's Zimmer, Berlin Zehlendorf W. , 1959

Sale Date: April 17, 2015

Auction Closed

Das Brandmauer Bild - Berlin 1956, 1956

Will McBride

Das Brandmauer Bild - Berlin 1956, 1956

Sale Date: April 17, 2015

Auction Closed

The Too-Full House, Munich, 1968

Will McBride

The Too-Full House, Munich, 1968

Sale Date: March 6, 2015

Auction Closed

John F. Kennedy, Willy Brandt, Konrad..., 1973

Will McBride

John F. Kennedy, Willy Brandt, Konrad..., 1973

Sale Date: December 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Romy in Paris (In ihrem Hotelappartment), 1964

Will McBride

Romy in Paris (In ihrem Hotelappartment), 1964

Sale Date: December 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Einer greift nach Seife und berührt Mike...., 1963

Will McBride

Einer greift nach Seife und berührt Mike...., 1963

Sale Date: December 3, 2014

Auction Closed

Butcher Boy in Florence, 1957

Will McBride

Butcher Boy in Florence, 1957

Sale Date: December 3, 2014

Auction Closed

Konrad Adenauer, Cadenabbia, 1963

Will McBride

Konrad Adenauer, Cadenabbia, 1963

Sale Date: November 28, 2014

Auction Closed

English (US)

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