Join The Collection to save, track, and explore works like this.

Vik Muniz — 12,000 Yards (Etretat, after Courbet) from Pictures of Thread
Vik Muniz

12,000 Yards (Etretat, after Courbet) from Pictures of Thread

A breathtaking coastal seascape rendered entirely from carefully arranged lengths of thread, this work recreates Gustave Courbet's iconic cliffs at Étretat with striking fidelity. Muniz photographed the thread composition to produce a gelatin silver print, transforming humble, domestic material into a meditation on labor, reproduction, and the nature of image-making. The work challenges viewers to reconsider the boundary between original and copy, craft and fine art, by revealing how meaning and beauty can emerge from the most unexpected of materials.

Medium
Gelatin silver print.

🔨 Auction Lot

Important Photographs from the Collection of Dr. Anthony Terrana

April 2, 2013

Start the Discussion

Request access to join the discussion

Collectors of Vik Muniz

Also spotted by

About this work

Vik Muniz, 12,000 Yards (Etretat, after Courbet) from Pictures of Thread

A breathtaking coastal seascape rendered entirely from carefully arranged lengths of thread, this work recreates Gustave Courbet's iconic cliffs at Étretat with striking fidelity. Muniz photographed the thread composition to produce a gelatin silver print, transforming humble, domestic material into a meditation on labor, reproduction, and the nature of image-making. The work challenges viewers to reconsider the boundary between original and copy, craft and fine art, by revealing how meaning and beauty can emerge from the most unexpected of materials.

Medium
Gelatin silver print.
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Textural Medium, Seascape, Photography, Male Artist, Brazilian Artist, Conceptual Art, Contemporary Artist, Appropriation Art, Homage To Courbet, Late 20th Century, Black and White

More works by Vik Muniz

Collected by

Sarah Greenspan, Alex Capecelatro