Vik Muniz
Vik Muniz (1961, São Paulo, Brazil).
Lives and works in New York, NY, USA.
Vik Muniz is internationally renowned for his innovative works that challenge traditional art forms and question the nature of representation and perception.
Muniz began his artistic career as a sculptor and later shifted his focus to graphic arts and photography. Inspired by postmodernist approaches of artists like Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons, he employs popular images in his works, presenting them in fresh and novel ways. This approach exemplifies a fundamental idea of contemporary art: the significance of concept over mere visual uniqueness.
In his artistic practice, Muniz frequently uses everyday materials and objects—such as sugar, chocolate syrup, wire, and discarded items—to create large-scale reproductions of artworks by world-famous artists. These temporary replicas are captured through a series of high-resolution photographs, allowing Muniz to reinterpret masterpieces by Van Gogh, Picasso, Malevich, Klimt, Mondrian, and Matisse.
Through his art, Muniz introduces audiences to the concept of appropriation in photography and emphasizes the importance of innovative techniques in artistic creation. His work prompts contemplation on the primacy of ideas and the diverse forms of expression. Muniz describes his role as that of an “observer of the skirmish between structuralist and poststructuralist criticism.”
Beyond his artistic exploration, Muniz is committed to the belief that art can be a catalyst for positive change and should not remain confined to elitist circles. His work often serves as commentary on global social and environmental issues, frequently accompanied by documentary reports that highlight social inequality, poverty, and the lack of support for vulnerable groups within society (e.g. ‘Waste Land’, 2010; ‘This is not a Ball’, 2014).
In 2006, Vik Muniz created his famous Pictures of Garbage series. Monumental replicas of old masters’ paintings on the theme of ancient mythology were recreated from garbage found at the largest landfill in the Rio de Janeiro area. Jardim Gramacho was one of the largest landfills in Latin America and a severe environmental problem in the region. Muniz involved waste pickers and landfill workers in the project, who assisted him in finding materials and creating installations. The resulting large-scale photographs served as a powerful commentary on the environmental impact of waste. Alongside the creation of the artworks, Muniz worked on a documentary about life in the Jardim Gramacho area, drawing attention to the harsh living conditions and low social protection of low-wage workers.
In 2010, the documentary film Waste Land, directed by Lucy Walker, was released and sparked unprecedented public resonance. The Jardim Gramacho landfill was closed in June 2012. The film was nominated for the 83rd Academy Awards in the category of Best Documentary Feature and won several awards at film festivals in Toronto, Berlin, and Sundance.
Muniz teaches art at leading universities around the world, including Oxford University, Harvard University, Yale University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and Bard College. He also speaks at public platforms such as TED conferences and the World Economic Forum.
Muniz’s works have been featured in major museum collections worldwide, including:
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
Tate Gallery, London, UK
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
International Center of Photography, New York, USA
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA
Menil Collection, Houston, USA
Museum of Modern Art, São Paulo, Brazil
Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rome Museum of Contemporary Art (MACRO), Rome, Italy
Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland
Joan Miró Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
Long Museum, Shanghai, China
Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
Vik Muniz
Boy with a pipe, after Picasso (Pictures of Pigment)
2006
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
223.5 x 180.3 cm
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Moscow House of Photography. Nov - Dec 2007
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June - Oct 2018
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. page 111
Mill in sunlight, after Piet Mondrian
2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
246.4 x 180.3 cm
Exhibitions
“Vik Muniz” One man show. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June 8 - Sep 8 2018
Olive trees with yellow Sky and Sun, after Van Gogh
2005
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
180.4 x 228.6 cm
Still life with a Bouquet of Fruits, after Caravaggio
2006
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
183 x 231.14 cm
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Moscow House of Photography. Nov - Dec 2007
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June - Oct 2018
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. page 100
Study of clouds at Hampstead, after John Constable. (Pictures of magazines).
2005
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
183 x 221 cm
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Moscow House of Photography: Nov - Dec 2007
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June - Oct 2018
Bouquet, after Henri Matisse
2005
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
254 x 183 cm
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Moscow House of Photography: Nov - Dec 2007
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June - Oct 2018
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. page 98
Hercules and Omphale, after Francois Lemoyne. (Pictures of junk).
2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
228.6 x 183 cm
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Moscow House of Photography. Nov - Dec 2007
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. page 141
Medea about to kill her children, after Eugene Delacroix (Pictures of junk)
2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
241.3 x 180.3 cm
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Moscow House of Photography. Nov - Dec 2007
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June - Oct 2018
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. page 140
Minotaur, after George Frederick Watts. «Pictures of junk».
2006
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
218.4 x 180.3 cm
Vulcan forges Cupid's arrows, after Alessandro Tiariani. (Pictures of junk).
2004
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
231.4 x 180.3 cm
Atlas, after Giovanni Francesco Barbieri. (Pictures of junk).
2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
228.6 x 182.88 cm
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007
Atalanta and Hippomenes, after Guido Reni – Diptych (Pictures of Junk)
2006
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
Diptych 236.2 x 180.3 cm - each part
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Moscow House of Photography: Nov - Dec 2007
Vik Muniz - Russian Project. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow: Oct 2007 - Feb 2008
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. pp. 144 - 145
Demon, after Vrubel (Pictures of Pigment)
2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
Small size: 122 x 216 cm
Large size: 167.6 x 302.3 cm
Edition: 6+4AP
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Russian Project. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. Oct 2007 - Feb 2008
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June - Oct 2018
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. pp. 162-163
The Apotheosis of war, after Vereshchagin (Pictures of Pigment)
2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
Small size: 122 x 188 cm
Large size: 180 x 282 cm
Edition: 6+4AP
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Russian Project. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. Oct 2007 - Feb 2008
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June - Oct 2018
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. pp. 158 - 159
Suprematist composition: eight red rectangles, after Kazimir Malevich
2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
Small size: 142.2 x 122 cm
Large size: 213.4 x 180 cm
Edition: 6+4AP
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Russian Project. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. Oct 2007 - Feb 2008
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June - Oct 2018
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. page 173
Pro Eto, after Rodchenko
2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
Small size: 185.4 x 122 cm
Large size: 274.3 x 180 cm
Edition: 6+4AP
Exhibitions
Dada Fest. NCCA. June 2016
Summa Summarum. NCCA. Jan - Feb 2010 (Small size)
Vik Muniz. Russian Project. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. Oct 2007 - Feb 2008
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. page 169
Lengiz!, after Rodchenko
2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
Small size: 122 x 172.7 cm
Large size: 180 x 256.5 cm
Edition: 6+4AP
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Russian Project. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. Oct 2007 - Feb 2008
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, 2007. pp. 166 - 167