The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Map of North America

1996

Abelardo Morell

(American, 1948-)
America
gelatin silver print
Image: 46 x 57.1 cm (18 1/8 x 22 1/2 in.); Paper: 50.8 x 60.7 cm (20 x 23 7/8 in.); Matted: 76.2 x 81.3 cm (30 x 32 in.)
Judith K. and S. Sterling McMillan III Photography Purchase Fund 1998.117
Location: Not on view

Description

A map of North America is transformed into an imaginary landscape when it is crumpled, filled with water, and photographed. Rather than manipulating the chemical processes of photography, Morell alters the object and then emphasizes its new, unusual form in a straightforward photograph.
  • {{cite web|title=Map of North America|url=false|author=Abelardo Morell|year=1996|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1998.117