Matthew Brandt: Rocks and Eagles

^{Matthew Brandt, image from series Eagles, 2018. Daguerreotypes made from American Silver Eagle coins and glass, 10 x 8x 1in. each. Courtesy of the artist.}

Long term installation in Seeing America, 2nd Floor, North Wing.

Matthew Brandt: Rocks and Eagles presents two new photographic series by the artist, installed in the Museum’s contemporary Seeing America galleries. Brandt, who lives and works in Los Angeles, made several trips to Newark in 2017 and 2018, photographing natural sites throughout the state and engaging with the Museum’s art and science collections. The resulting large-scale works capture the New Jersey landscape as both subject and material, incorporating rocks, glass, and other local elements. In the main gallery, Brandt has created an immersive installation of 100 daguerreotypes of eagles, inspired by the current political atmosphere. These photographs, originally taken in Alaska in 2014, depict American bald eagles fighting for salmon and are made with melted American Silver Eagle coins and glass.