Robert Cumming
Mishap of Little Consequence

Mishap of Little Consequence

© Robert Cumming / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

Mishap of Little Consequence
Mishap of Little Consequence
ArtistAmerican, 1943–2021
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Mishap of Little Consequence
Date1973
PlaceCalifornia, United States
MediumGelatin silver prints
DimensionsImage (.A): 7 5/8 × 9 5/8 in. (19.4 × 24.4 cm)
Sheet (.A): 7 15/16 × 9 7/8 in. (20.2 × 25.1 cm)
Image (.B): 7 5/8 × 9 5/8 in. (19.4 × 24.4 cm)
Sheet (.B): 7 15/16 × 9 7/8 in. (20.2 × 25.1 cm)
Mount: 19 15/16 × 29 3/4 in. (50.6 × 75.6 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Louisa Stude Sarofim
Object number83.316.A,.B
Non exposé

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Department
Photography
Object Type
DescriptionFascinated by the discarded Hollywood “continuity shots” that he found in Los Angeles flea markets and movie memorabilia stores (images that recorded the precise look of elaborate film sets but often revealed their paper-thin illusions as well), Robert Cumming embarked in the early 1970s on a series of photographs that played on the same theme. With an eight-by-ten camera like the ones Ansel Adams and Edward Weston focused on the majesty of nature, Cumming photographed his own constructions of copper wire and contact paper, tennis balls and household items. His intentionally dumb jokes, however, tackled the serious central theme of Conceptual art: the nature of representation and the purpose of art. With a light touch and playful inventiveness, he challenged received notions of photographic truthfulness, depicting subjects that were often far less than they first appeared.
Provenance Research Ongoing Exhibition HistoryExhibited:"The Alternative Image III: Visual Paradox", John Michael Kohler Arts Center, New York, NY6 December 1987 - 14 February 1988 (LN:87.14)

Loaned to "Robert Cumming L'oeuvre photographique 1969-1980/Retrospective," at Fonds Regional D'Art Contemporain, Limoges, France, from Aug. 4 to Oct. 29, 1994 (LN:94.21)

Loaned to "Robert Cumming: Photographic Works, 1969-1980," at The Wood Street Galleries, Pittsburgh, Jan. 26 - Mar. 9, 1995 (LN:95.21)

Exhibited: "A Love Affair with Pictures: 25 Years of Collecting Photographs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," MFAH, Lower Jones and Masterson Galleries, October 14 - December 30, 2001.

“History of Photography I: Selections from the Museum's Collection,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, November 1, 2014–February 22, 2015.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
bottom left below image A. in pencil " MISHAP OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE "
verso of mount right edge in pencil " J20 "
top left in pencil artist's name, title, several dimensions
bottom right below image B.in pencil " Cumming 1973 "
verso of mount a paper sticker inscribed in ink " BMA / 72505 "

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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10 Unique Article "A"'s
Robert Cumming
1971–1975
Gelatin silver prints
83.318.A,.B
Washington and Baltimore are only about 35 miles distant
Robert Cumming
1975
Gelatin silver prints
83.317.A,.B
Makeshift Art School Furniture (Chairs)
Robert Cumming
1976
Gelatin silver prints
83.322.A-.D
Four Sides of a Small House
Robert Cumming
1974
Gelatin silver prints
84.809.A,.B
Male/Female
Robert Cumming
1976
Gelatin silver print and chromogenic prints
84.810.A-.C
uncropped recto of sheets
Robert Cumming
1973
Gelatin silver prints
2002.3015.A,.B
Black & White Rope Trick
Robert Cumming
1973
Gelatin silver prints
2002.3014.A,.B
Walking Shoes Turned Momentarily in Profile (Denise in Heels)
Robert Cumming
August 1975
Gelatin silver prints
82.42.A,.B
Two New Boxes; One with a Badly Worn Top
Robert Cumming
1974
Gelatin silver prints
84.802.A,.B
John and Denise Reading / Sweeping
Robert Cumming
August, 1975
Gelatin silver prints
84.800.A,.B