Composites: Atlantic City
Artist
Ray K. Metzker
(American, 1931 - 2014)
Date1966
MediumGelatin silver prints
DimensionsOverall: 41 × 41 inches (104.14 × 104.14 cm)
Image: 34 3/4 × 34 7/8 inches (88.27 × 88.58 cm)
Framed: 42 × 42 × 2 5/8 inches (106.68 × 106.68 × 6.67 cm)
Image: 34 3/4 × 34 7/8 inches (88.27 × 88.58 cm)
Framed: 42 × 42 × 2 5/8 inches (106.68 × 106.68 × 6.67 cm)
Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Object number2005.27.4979
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionGelatin silver print composite; eleven gelatin silver print strips mounted on masonite, in a vintage frame.Exhibition HistoryRotation 3. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, March 20 – August 18, 2008, no cat.
The Photographs of Ray K. Metzker. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 15 January-5 June 2011, no cat.
The Photographs of Ray K. Metzker and the Institute of Design. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA, September 1, 2012 - February 28, 2013, no. 50.
The Photographs of Ray K. Metzker. Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, September 22, 2013 - January 5, 2014, no. 50.
Metzker's "Composites" of the 1960s were unprecedented in both scale and effect. When viewed from a distance, this work reads as a pure abstraction; on closer inspection, it is seen to be composed of many crisply detailed images. The "Composites" function somewhat like short loops of motion picture film, which create a hypnotic visual rhythm from the repetition of a simple action. The mystery of these brief narratives is further enhanced in works such as this in which Metzker's original roll of film was double-exposed. Here the graphic multiplicity of the overall image is combined with a delicate sense of interpenetration and disembodiment.
Copyright© Estate of Ray K. Metzker
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
