William Eggleston (b. 1939) is widely regarded as one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century and a pioneering figure in the acceptance of colour photography as art. Born in Memphis and raised in the American South, Eggleston began photographing in the late 1950s. His breakthrough came in 1976 with the publication of William Eggleston's Guide and the accompanying exhibition at MoMA, curated by John Szarkowski. The exhibition was controversial at the time, but it is now recognised as a landmark moment in photographic history. Through his use of the dye-transfer process and his attention to ordinary subjects – suburban streets, roadside signs, domestic interiors and everyday objects – Eggleston challenged conventional ideas about what was worthy of photographic attention.

Throughout his career, Eggleston developed what he described as a “democratic” approach to image-making, in which all subjects possess equal visual importance. Major bodies of work, including William Eggleston's Guide and Los Alamos, have had a profound influence on subsequent generations of photographers, filmmakers and artists. Today, Eggleston's work is held in leading museum collections worldwide and continues to shape contemporary visual culture.