Matthew Barney

MATTHEW BARNEY (San Francisco, 1967).
"Creamaster 5", 1997.
Photo Offset lithograph on paper, edition 4/200.
With label of the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (IVAM) on the back.
Work exhibited in "Perdidos en la ciudad", IVAM, 2016.
Measurements: 83,5 x 59 cm; 84,5 x 60 cm (frame).

This promotional poster belongs to "Cremaster 5", a 1997 film that is part of the acclaimed "Cremaster" cycle, a series of five films directed by artist Matthew Barney. Set as a lyrical opera in romantic Budapest in the late 19th century, the film delves into themes of tragic love and biological reproduction. In it, Ursula Andress plays the Queen of the Chain, while Matthew Barney takes on the roles of the Diva, the Magician and the Giant.

Matthew Barney devoted over eight years (between 1994 and 2002) to the making of the Cremaster Cycle. Its culmination was an exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, which was subsequently presented at the Ludwig Museum in Cologne and the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris between 2002 and 2003. The soundtrack for the films was composed by Jonathan Bepler.