About the Exhibition

In 2004, The Gallery at Windsor presented Heel to Heal: The Collection of Animal Paintings, Drawings and Photographs of Bruce Weber and Nan Bush.

Bruce Weber and Nan Bush have been collectors for more than 30 years. The works in their collection have come to them in a variety of ways: some were gifts from fellow artists, some were discoveries in flea markets, others were found in galleries and studios around the world. The pieces in this exhibition normally hang in teepees in Montana, a lodge in the Adirondack woods, a Manhattan loft, and a cabana on Golden Beach. It is a collection that reflects a lifelong fascination with animals.

Some of the show’s highlights included a pastel portrait by David Bowie of Bruce Weber – given to him when they worked together in South Africa, a drawing by Patti Smith and portraits by Prudence Whittlesey, a New York artist who was commissioned by Nan and Bruce to paint their dogs. Photographs by Edward Steichen, John Drysdale, Edward Weston, Peter Beard, Imogen Cunningham and Edward Ponting, among others, present a looking glass through which we see what it is like to have an elephant in your living room.

The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue of the collected works. Designed by Sam Shahid, the book embodies the spirit of the show. It includes a foreword by Alannah Weston, The Gallery at Windsor’s founder, and an essay by Nan Bush and Bruce Weber.

The exhibition opened in association with Delta Society, a national charity devoted to improving human health through service and therapy animals. During the opening, Bruce Weber photographed people and their dogs to raise money for the charity, and all proceeds from the sale of the catalogue were donated to the Delta Society.

About the Artists

Bruce Weber is an American fashion photographer and filmmaker. Born on March 29, 1946 in Greensburg, PA, he studied at New York University before embarking on his commercial photography career working on campaigns for Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch, Versace and Ralph Lauren, as well as some editorial work for Vogue, Vanity Fair and Life. Weber’s films include Let’s Get Lost (1988), a novel-like documentary on the troubled jazz trumpeter Chet Baker.

Weber met Nan Bush in the late 1960’s.  Bush was instrumental in launching Weber’s career in the fashion world. He began photographing fashion catalogs – his first being a reshoot for the department store Dillard’s, which won catalog of the year.  This began the life-long partnership of Weber and Bush.  The couple currently live and work in Miami and New York with their six dogs and two cats.