Head of a Misanthropic Man

Peter Campus, Head of a Misanthropic Man, 1976-1978, analog video transferred to digital video, color, silent; looped, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.55.2, © 1976-1978, Peter Campus
Peter Campus, Head of a Misanthropic Man, 1976-1978, analog video transferred to digital video, color, silent; looped, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.55.2, © 1976-1978, Peter Campus

Artwork Details

Title
Head of a Misanthropic Man
Artist
Date
1976-1978
Location
Not on view
Copyright
© 1976-1978, Peter Campus
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
analog video transferred to digital video, color, silent; looped
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure male
Object Number
2011.55.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2011.55.2

Artwork Description

A key figure in the history of video art, Peter Campus explores the novelties of the electronic image and the transformative characteristics of video. Here Campus presents a tightly cropped and stationary portrait of a man's face, deliberately lit and framed for dramatic effect. His vague, unnerving gaze inverts the traditional role between audience and performer; the effect is amplified by the barely visible shimmer of a recorded picture. The titled itself suggests the uneasy interaction the viewer is about to enter.

Works by this artist (3 items)

Peter Campus, Three Transitions, 1973, single-channel video, color, sound; 04:53 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the Ford Motor Company, 2007.33.12, © 1973, Peter Campus. Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix, NY
Three Transitions
Artist
Date1973
single-channel video, color, sound; 04:53 minutes
Not on view
Peter Campus, Barn at North Fork, 2010, high-definition digital video, color, sound; 24:00 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.55.1, © 2010, Peter Campus
Barn at North Fork
Artist
Date2010
high-definition digital video, color, sound; 24:00 minutes
Not on view
Peter Campus, Head of a Misanthropic Man, 1976-1978, analog video transferred to digital video, color, silent; looped, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.55.2, © 1976-1978, Peter Campus
Head of a Misanthropic Man
Artist
Date1976-1978
analog video transferred to digital video, color, silent; looped
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2016.29.3 - SAAM-2016.29.3_1 - 124404
Watch This! New Directions on the Art of the Moving Image (5.0)
September 9, 2016–March 5, 2017
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Watch This! New Directions in the Art of the Moving Image is a series of rotating exhibitions drawn from SAAM’s permanent collection.

More Artworks from the Collection

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Image Not Available
My Body Sees You
Artist
Date1992
single-channel video, color sound; 05:58 minutes
Not on view
Charlemagne Palestine, Running Outburst, 1975, 5:56 minutes, black & white, sound, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the Ford Motor Company, 2008.21.6, © 1975, Charlemagne Palestine. Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix, NY
Running Outburst
Artist
Date1975
5:56 minutes, black & white, sound
Not on view
Bill Viola, Silent Life from The Reflecting Pool- Collected Work 1977-80, 1979, 13:14 minutes, color, sound, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the Ford Motor Company, 2008.21.16.3, © 1979 Bill Viola. Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix, NY
Silent Life from The Reflecting Pool- Collected Work 1977 – 80
Artist
Date1979
13:14 minutes, color, sound
Not on view
Woody Vasulka, Explanation from Selected Works, 1974, 11:45 minutes, color, sound, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the Ford Motor Company, 2008.21.14.4, © 1974 Woody Vasulka. Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix, NY
Explanation from Selected Works
Artist
Date1974
11:45 minutes, color, sound
Not on view