Ron Mueck is a London-based photo-realist artist. Born in Melbourne, Australia to parents who were toy makers, he labored on children’s television shows for 15 years before working in special effects for films such as Labyrinth, the 1986 fantasy epic with David Bowie.
After concluding that photography pretty much destroys the physical presence of the original object, Mueck turned to fine art and sculpture. In the early 1990s, still in his advertising days, Mueck was commissioned to make something highly realistic. He began researching the perfect material to do the trick. Latex was the usual, but he wanted something harder, more precise. One day he saw a little architectural decor on the wall of a boutique and asked the owner about the pink stuff’s nature. Fiberglass resin was the answer, and Mueck has made it his bronze and marble ever since.
His work is lifelike but not life size, and being face to face with his work is an unforgettable experience. I spent several minutes tripping out on the naked giant a few years ago back in Washington D.C. Below are some examples of his work.
Comments on this entry are closed.