About this artwork
Apotheosis of Homer has no fixed shape. Named for a painting of 1827 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, in which great figures from Virgil to Molière are gathered to pay homage to the author of the Odyssey, Paolini’s piece consists of a list of 45 famous artists and other historical personages, along with 32 photographs of actors who have played these characters in the movies, all set on music stands, as well as an optional audio recitation of the names. Each “performance” or installation of the work could be different. Paolini described his piece (the commentary appears alongside his list) as a set of visually articulated hypotheses concerning the theatrical, the classical, and the modern as incongruous pieces of data, assembled by the actors themselves to “celebrate a dazzling fiction” of the unity of time, place, and action.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Photography and Media
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Artist
- Giulio Paolini
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Title
- Apotheosis of Homer
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Place
- Italy (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1970–1971
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Medium
- Music stands (33), chromogenic prints (2), gelatin silver prints (30), typescript, and audio recording
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Dimensions
- Each photograph: 24 × 30 cm (9 1/2 × 11 13/16 in.); Each paperboard: 30 × 48 cm (11 13/16 × 18 15/16 in.); Typescript paper: 21 × 30 cm (8 5/16 × 11 13/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Purchased with funds provided by Helen and Sam Zell
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Reference Number
- 2013.6
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
