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Collage of five diverse artworks from the Hammer Museum Collections side by side. From left to right: 1) Contemporary painting of two embracing figures with surreal elements. 2) Post-impressionist style painting of trees with vibrant blues and greens. 3) Black and white illustration of a face with intricate patterns. 4) Japanese woodblock print style image of a figure in a checkered robe. 5) Photograph of a couple dancing, the woman in a black dress and the man in white

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Digital Archive Take It or Leave It: Institution, Image, Ideology
Art Allan McCollum, Perpetual Photo
Perpetual Photo, by Allan McCollum, 1982

Allan McCollum, Artist
Perpetual Photo , 1982

Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
62 x 45 x 3 in. (157.5 x 114.3 x 7.6 cm) (framed)
Credit Line
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Gift of the artist (2004.12). Image courtesy of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

In 1982 Allan McCollum began his Perpetual Photo series by photographing his television screen whenever he spotted a framed picture within the scene. He then photographically isolated and enlarged the prop picture, in the process producing an abstract photograph. The initial negative used to make each photograph is taped to the back of each framed piece, thereby restricting the propagation of the image intrinsic to the televisual and photographic mediums.