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Peter Beard — Magritte Ramme in the basement of the Natural History Museum, London with the world record elephants tusks: 214 lbs and 226 1/4 lbs
Peter Beard

Magritte Ramme in the basement of the Natural History Museum, London with the world record elephants tusks: 214 lbs and 226 1/4 lbs

A striking Polaroid print enhanced with ink and paint, this work by Peter Beard captures Magritte Ramme posed alongside the world record elephant tusks — weighing an extraordinary 214 lbs and 226¼ lbs — in the basement of London's Natural History Museum. Beard's signature interventions of hand-applied ink and paint transform the photographic image into a layered, visceral document that blurs the boundary between fine art and raw reality. The work reflects Beard's lifelong preoccupation with wildlife, mortality, and the uneasy relationship between human civilization and the natural world.

Medium
Polaroid print with ink and paint, printed later.

🔨 Auction Lot

Photographs

November 6, 2015

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About this work

Peter Beard, Magritte Ramme in the basement of the Natural History Museum, London with the world record elephants tusks: 214 lbs and 226 1/4 lbs

A striking Polaroid print enhanced with ink and paint, this work by Peter Beard captures Magritte Ramme posed alongside the world record elephant tusks — weighing an extraordinary 214 lbs and 226¼ lbs — in the basement of London's Natural History Museum. Beard's signature interventions of hand-applied ink and paint transform the photographic image into a layered, visceral document that blurs the boundary between fine art and raw reality. The work reflects Beard's lifelong preoccupation with wildlife, mortality, and the uneasy relationship between human civilization and the natural world.

Medium
Polaroid print with ink and paint, printed later.
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

African Wildlife, Twentieth Century, Wildlife Documentation, Male Artist, Mixed Media, Documentary Photography, 20th Century Photography, Black and White Photography, Polaroid Medium, Earthy Tones, Contemporary Photography, Cult Photographer, Celebrated Photographer, American Artist, Wildlife Subject, Surrealist Influence, Museum Interior, Polaroid Print, Altered Photography, Earth Tones, Archival Annotation, Photojournalism, Museum Setting

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