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Orestes Pursued by the Furies (Pictures of Junk)

Artist Vik Muniz (American, b. 1961)

CultureBrazilian

Date2006

MediumChromogenic print

Dimensions94 1/2 x 71 in. (240 x 180.3 cm)
Overall, Frame: 98 1/2 x 74 1/2 x 2 1/4 in. (250.2 x 189.2 x 5.7 cm)

PortfolioAP1 (Artist proof 1 of 4) of edition of 6

Credit LineMuseum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank

Object number2007.16

Not on view

DescriptionThis chromogenic print is of junk arranged over a large area to look like "Orestes Pursued by the Furies" by Adolphe William Bouguereau (Chrysler Museum collection #71.623). The photo is taken from above.

Label TextVik Muniz Brazilian (b. 1961) After Adolphe William Bouguereau Orestes Pursued by the Furies (Pictures of Junk), 2006 Chromogenic print Museum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank 2007.16 Muniz uses photography to create images out of non-traditional materials ranging from chocolate to peanut butter and jelly, to toys. For this work he used discarded junk to create images based upon paintings depicting mythological subjects. In this photograph he chose the Chrysler Museum's painting Orestes Pursued by the Furies by Adolphe Bouguereau, which can be seen hanging on the wall behind you. In a space the size of a basketball court, Muniz collaborated with art students directing them with a laser pointer to arrange the junk into the shape of the painting. It took about a month and a half to complete the work with the final step being the photographing of the construction. Though unconventional, the basis of Muniz's work is drawing. By crafting his work systematically from post-industrial rubble, he challenges our expectations of drawing and furthers the artist's eternal quest for the ideal in art inspired by classical myths and history.ProvenanceSikkema Jenkins & Co., New York City, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, Museum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank, 2007. Exhibition History"Vik Muniz; Pictures of Junk," Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, New York, September 9 - October 14, 2006 "Vik Muniz: Photography and the Rebirth of Wonder," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, July 13 - October 14, 2018. "Come Together, Right Now: The Art of Gathering," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, October 11, 2020 - January 3, 2021.Published ReferencesMint Museum of Art, _Contemporary, Cool and Collected_, exh. cat., The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, N.C., 2007, 7 & 100-101. ISBN: 978-0-9762300-3-8 A print of this photograph