Croque Mort

2000
Gordon, Douglas
'Croque Mort' is a series of large colour photographs of a baby biting her toes. Taken in extreme close-up, and installed in a blood-red room, the series avoids the sentimentality that may be implied in its subject matter, to focus instead on the rather unsettling image of a body biting itself. The sense of unease is emphasised by Gordon's choice of title, which refers to an old French term for mortician, deriving from the practice of biting the toes of a corpse to check that it was really dead. Douglas Gordon uses both appropriated and original material to explore contrasting themes such as temptation and fear, life and death, good and evil and innocence and guilt. Often epic in scale, his work encompasses film, photography, installation, text and sound. Fiona Bradley
  • Artwork Details: 7 works, total, 135 x 1185cm
  • Edition: 4 of 13
  • Material description: c-type photographic print
  • Credit line: © the artist and Lisson Gallery, London
  • Theme:
  • Medium: Photograph
  • Accession number: ACC42/2000

Share

Close
Artists
Artworks
Exhibitions
Articles
Other

The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

With more than 8,000 works by over 2,000 artists, it can be seen in exhibitions and public displays across the country and beyond. This website offers unprecedented access to the Collection, and information about each work can be found on this site.