Bill Owens was born and raised in California. After volunteering in the Peace Corps he picked up photography and began his journey as a documentarian. While living in Livermore, California, in the late 1960s, he worked as a photographer for the local newspaper. He became increasingly interested in the suburban areas that became heavily populated after WWII.
Owens started photographing middle-class America and would eventually publish a best-selling book, Suburbia, in 1972. Suburbia is considered one of the most important photography books to date. He went on to publish three more books, Our Kind of People, Working and Leisure, focusing on the suburbanites of America.
Owens was the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, which he received in 1976.
Between working commercially and on personal photographic projects, he opened a brewery in California in 1983 and became so enamored with craft beer that he founded the American Distilling Institute and American Brewer magazine.
The photographs of Bill Owens are highly sought after and can be found in private and public collections such as the Getty Museum, Modern Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.
Find Bill Owens photography on 1stDibs.
I bought the lawn
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
"I bought the lawn in six-foot rolls. It's easy to handle. I prepare the ground and my wife and son helped roll out the grass. in one day you have a front yard." Edition of 15 Signed...
Silver Gelatin
Before the Dissolution of our Marriage, from the series, Suburbia
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Gelatin Silver Print 14 × 11 in. Ed. of 15 Signed, numbered, dated in pencil with artist stamp in black ink on verso From the series, Suburbia “Before the dissolution of our marriag...
Silver Gelatin
One Day Our Toilet Broke
By Bill Owens
Located in New York, NY
Bill Owens Before the dissolution of our marriage my husband and I owned a bar. One day a toilet broke and we brought it home, 1971 Print Paper Size: 13 x 17 inches Print Image Size...
Archival Pigment
$3,500Sale Price|39% Off
We're Really Happy, from Suburbia series
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
"We're really happy. Our kids are healthy, we eat good food, and we have a really nice home." Gelatin silver print, 11 x 14 in. Signed, print date, misc. notation in pencil on vers...
Silver Gelatin
Parade Woman Holding American Flag, from Suburbia
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, dated and numbered. Series: Suburbia Bill Owens was born and raised in California. After volunteering in the Peace Corps he picked up photography and began his...
Silver Gelatin
We really enjoy getting together, from Suburbia
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
"We really enjoy getting together with our friends to drink and dance. It's a wild party and we're having a great time." from series, Suburbia Edition of 15 Signed, dated and number...
Silver Gelatin
New Suburbia, Hayward (Weed Wacker), from New Suburbia
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 5 Signed, titled, and numbered in black ink on print verso. Series: New Suburbia Bill Owens was born and raised in California. After volunteering in the Peace Corps he pi...
Digital Pigment
Every summer we go all out on our camp in Yosemite, from Leisure
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
"Every summer we go all out on our camp in Yosemite. I do the barbequing" Edition of 15 Signed, dated, and numbered by Bill Owens Gelatin silver print 16 x 20 in. Series: Leisure Bi...
Silver Gelatin
$3,500Sale Price|39% Off
Christina's Room
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
"I wanted Christina to learn some responsibility for cleaning her room, but it didn't work." Edition of 15 Gelatin silver print, 11 x 14 in. Signed, numbered, and dated in pencil wi...
Silver Gelatin
Bill Owens: Suburbia Portfolio (15 photographs)
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Bill Owens Portfolio A selection of fifteen photographs from the series, Suburbia Edition of 15 Each photograph is signed and numbered in pencil with artist stamp in black ink on pri...
Silver Gelatin
My dad thinks it's a good idea
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
"My dad thinks it's a good idea to take all the leaves off the tree and take up the yard. I think he is crazy." Edition of 15 Signed, numbered, and artist stamp...
Silver Gelatin
We like to play war, from Suburbia
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
We like to play war, 1971 Gelatin silver print, 11 x 14 in. Edition of 15 Stamped in ink, signed, numbered, and dated in pencil on verso by Bill Owens Series: Suburbia Bill Owens wa...
Silver Gelatin
McDonald's Modern Day Care Center, from Leisure series
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
"McDonald's modern day care center keeps the boys out of my hair and lets me have a moment to myself. Kansas City, MO", 1976 Edition 7/15 Signed and artist stamps. Printed 2007 Serie...
Silver Gelatin
Untitled (Driveway) - Black and White Landscape, Suburban, Neighborhood
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Untitled (Driveway) by Bill Owens presents a tranquil scene. A long driveway leads up to a house in a suburban neighborhood. Two trash cans sit in front of the garage. The garage doo...
Silver Gelatin
Nixon on TV by Bill Owens, 1971, Silver Gelatin Print, Photography
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Nixon on TV by Bill Owens presents a living room scene. An image of Richard Nixon is frozen mid speech on the television screen. A framed print of Vase with Twelve Sunflowers by Vinc...
Silver Gelatin
Sunday Afternoon, from Suburbia series
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
"Sunday afternoon we get it together. I cook the steaks and my wife makes the salad." Edition of 15 Signed, numbered, and artist stamp. Series: Suburbia Bill Owens was born and rais...
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Walmart
By Bill Owens
Located in New York, NY
Chromogenic print Signed, verso This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
C Print
Finito de Cordoba, Ronda, Spain, 1995
By Michael Crouser
Located in New York, NY
Toned gelatin silver print Signed, titled, dated, and numbered, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet (Edition of 25) 20 x 16 inches, sheet (Edition of 25) 24 x 20 inches, sheet (Edition of...
Silver Gelatin
Slim Aarons 'Jazz Scooter'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons Jazz Scooter 1949 (printed later) Silver gelatin print estate signature stamped edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity Lucille Brown takes control of the Vespa...
Silver Gelatin
Surfer with White Board
By Patrick Cariou
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed, verso 24 x 20 inches, sheet 22 x 17 inches, image This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Silver Gelatin
$2,500
H 16 in W 20 in D 0.1 in
Muhammad Ali, Fifth Street Gym, Miami (Hitting the Bag)
By Al Satterwhite
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 25 Signed and numbered by artist. Paper size: 16 x 20 in. *Available in additional sizes. Al Satterwhite started working as a photographer at a major daily newspaper in ...
Archival Pigment
Bea with a whip at The Other Side
By Nan Goldin
Located in New York, NY
Nan Goldin Bea with a whip at The Other Side 1973 Gelatin silver print 14 x 11 inches; 36 x 28 cm Edition of 100 Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in graphite (lower right verso) ...
Silver Gelatin
$3,300Sale Price|40% Off
H 16 in W 13 in D 2 in
Portrait of a Man, Mid-Century Black & White Photograph by Edward Weston
By Edward Weston
Located in Soquel, CA
Rare black and white photograph, a portrait of a handsome man by Edward Henry Weston (March 24, 1886 – January 1, 1958). Signed "EW 1949" lo...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Kate Moss / Chloe
By Fabien Mara
Located in New York, NY
Fabien Mara Kate Moss / Chloe, 1990 Silver gelatin print 70 x 100 cm Edition of 17 Signed, numbered, and dated Fabien Mara lives and works in Paris. (French). His body of work m...
Silver Gelatin
Muhammad Ali (Point Left)
By Al Satterwhite
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 25 Signed and numbered by Al Satterwhite Paper size: 16 x 20 in. *Available in additional sizes Al Satterwhite started working as a photographer at a major daily newspap...
Archival Pigment
$975
H 60 in W 40 in
Water Skiing (1950) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversize
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
Gorgeous Joan (1931) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Alamy) A woman in white two-piece bathing suit water skiing cir...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$590
H 24 in W 20 in
Fulham Football Fan's Fashion silver gelatin limited edition print
Located in London, GB
5th January 1957: Two young Fulham football fans Freda and Frank Hearn dressed in their club's colours of black and white, wait to board an 'Ipswich Sp...
Silver Gelatin
Ryder 5
By Michael Crouser
Located in New York, NY
Toned gelatin silver print Signed, titled, dated, and numbered, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet (Edition of 25) 20 x 16 inches, sheet (Edition of 25) 24 x 20 inches, sheet (Edition of 15) 40 x 30 inches, sheet (Edition of 15) This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Michael Crouser's series, "Mountain Ranch," is a ten-year look at the disappearing world of cattle ranching...
Silver Gelatin
Hank Aaron, Atlanta, Georgia
By Al Satterwhite
Located in Denton, TX
Archival Pigment Print Edition of 25 Signed and numbered in pen on print margin Titled, dated, print date, and copyright with misc. notations in pencil on print verso *Images and vid...
Archival Pigment
A lot of people say we're chunks of meat
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
A lot of people say we're chunks of meat, 1974 Gelatin silver print 14 x 10 3/4 in. Signed and dated in black ink on margin Bill Owens was born and rai...
Silver Gelatin
Sold
H 8 in W 10 in D 0.1 in
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from Suburbia series
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Artist Proof Signed and numbered in pencil with artist copyright stamp in black ink on print verso. Series: Suburbia Bill Owens was born and raised in California. After volunteering...
Silver Gelatin
At Rosie O' Grady's Goodtime Emporium (Disco dancer)
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, dated, numbered and artist stamp on print verso by Bill Owens Gelatin silver print, 14 x 11 in. Printed 2005 Series: Leisure Bill Owens was born and raised in ...
Silver Gelatin
Our house was built with the living room in back
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 15 Signed. From Suburbia Bill Owens was born and raised in California. After volunteering in the Peace Corps he picked up photography and began his journey as a documenta...
Silver Gelatin
Sold
H 11 in W 14 in D 0.1 in
Every summer we go all out on our camp in Yosemite, from Leisure
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
"Every summer we go all out on our camp in Yosemite. I do the barbequing" Edition of 15 Signed, dated, and numbered. Series: Leisure Bill Owens was born and raised in California. Af...
Silver Gelatin
Hockney Painted This Pool
By Bill Owens
Located in Denton, TX
Edition 10 Signed and numbered in black ink on print verso. Bill Owens was born and raised in California. After volunteering in the Peace Corps he picked up photography and began hi...
C Print