Artist
Mitch Epstein (American, born 1952)American, born 1952
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Amos Coal Power Plant, Raymond City, West Virginia
- from the series American Power
Date2004
Place depictedRaymond City, West Virginia, United States
MediumChromogenic print
DimensionsImage (at open): 68 1/2 × 89 in. (174 × 226.1 cm)
Frame: 70 1/2 × 91 × 2 1/2 in. (179.1 × 231.1 × 6.4 cm)
Frame: 70 1/2 × 91 × 2 1/2 in. (179.1 × 231.1 × 6.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of John A. MacMahon
Object number2020.494
Not on view
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Department
PhotographyObject Type
Amid a landscape of suburban backyards, a coal power station looms in the distance, its gray, industrial form at odds with the colorful houses. The result of this juxtaposition is symbolized by the dead, bare tree at the center of the composition. Amos Coal Power Plant, Raymond City, West Virginia, from the series American Power, grapples with the consequences of power, both as a consumer product and as a political advantage. Mitch Epstein commented, "I wanted to photograph the relationship between American society and the American landscape, and energy was the lynchpin."
Provenance[Sotheby's, September 27, 2019]; purchased by John A. MacMahon; given to MFAH, 2020.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[Sikkema Jenkins & Co label]
edition 4/4
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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Lewis W. Hine
September 1908
Gelatin silver print
97.697