Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2018.

Untitled

Artist Adam Fuss (British, born 1961)

CultureEnglish

Date1986

MediumGelatin silver print

Dimensions24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 32 × 26 in. (81.3 × 66 cm)

Portfolioedition 8 of 10

Credit LineGift of Howard Read

Object number2018.20

Not on view

DescriptionThis black and white gelatin silver print depicts an ancient Roman statue of the muse Melpomene holding a tragic mask. The sculpture dates to 50 B.C.E and is in the collection of the Louvre, where it was photographed.
Label TextAdam Fuss British, born 1961 Untitled, 1986 Gelatin silver print (photograph) right Skull, 2005 Daguerreotype in plexiglass box An open-mouthed mask in the hands of a stony goddess confronts the viewer as part of a shadowy and mystical scene. Adam Fuss made this image using a pinhole camera, a simple device that exposes film or photosensitive paper through a tiny hole. Created at the Louvre at night, when the museum was closed to the public, the picture portrays a sculpture as if it has come to life or, as Fuss says, as if it “could breathe.” Like much of Fuss’s work, these photographs use historical and often simplified photographic techniques to create otherworldly effects. Gift of Howard Read 2018.20 Museum purchase 2018.16Exhibition History"5 Years of Photography: Building the Chrysler Collection," Photography & Focus Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, June 26 - November 10, 2019.