Vik Muniz
Apollo and the Cumaean Sibyl, after Giovanni Domenico Cerrini, 2007
Chromogenic print mounted on aluminum
Diptych: 260 × 360 cm (261 × 180 cm each part)
‘Apollo and the Cumaean Sibyl’, 2007 by Vik Muniz is a reinterpretation of the painting by Giovanni Domenico Cerrini, 1640-1649.
Cerrini’s painting captures the essence of the ancient Roman myth of the Cumaean Sybil, a mighty prophetess, known for her power to foretell the future.
The myth of the Cumaean Sibyl is one of the many stories included in the ‘Metamorphoses’ poem by Ovid. In the myth, Apollo fell in love with the beautiful Sibyl and offered to grant her a wish in exchange for her love. She took a handful of sand and asked to live for as many years as the grains of sand she held. That’s how, remaining mortal, Sybil lived for over a thousand years.
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Moscow House of Photography. Nov–Dec 2007
Price of Oil. Gary Tatintsian Gallery. 20 Jan–15 Apr 2009
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery. June–Oct 2018
Publications
Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, 2007. p. 146
