Shark Fin Atop Pneumatic Underwater Sled; Feature Film, "Jaws 2"
Artist
Robert Cumming
(b. 1943)
CultureAmerican
Date1977
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsOverall, Image: 7 13/16 × 9 15/16 in. (19.8 × 25.2 cm)
Overall, Support: 10 15/16 in. (27.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm)
Overall, Support: 10 15/16 in. (27.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm)
InscribedSigned on verso
Credit LineMuseum purchase in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank
Object number2000.23.1.21
Not on view
DescriptionThis is a gelatin silver print; it is part of the portfolio "Studio Still Lifes, Universal Studios, California."Label TextLeft to Right: Robert Cumming American (b. 1943) Shark Fin Atop Pneumatic Underwater Sled; Feature Film, Jaws 2, 1977 Disaster Figures; Feature Film, Roller Coaster -Make-Up Lab, 1977 Drugstore and Street; Feature Film, The Great Gift - Stage #12, 1977 Gelatin-silver prints Museum purchases in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank 2000.23.1.5, 2000.23.10.21, and 2000.23.1.25 The subjects of Robert Cumming’s Studio Still Lifes, Universal Studios, California series are mysteriously empty Hollywood film sets. In Disaster Figures, the victims from the 1977 thriller Rollercoaster are seen as nothing more than a pile of slouching mannequins. Frightening millions of movie-goers, the nightmarish man-eating shark from Jaws 2 is seen as a jumble of mechanical parts. Similarly, the quaint streets and towns seen in The Great Gift are revealed to be nothing more than painted backdrops. Cummings’ behind-the-scenes views corrupt our suspension of disbelief, exposing the artifice and illusion of the Hollywood film industry. Exhibition History"Remix: A Fresh Look At Our Modern And Contemporary Art Collections," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, November 2, 2011 - March 17, 2012.