Label
Maurice Gray
His Master's Voice
58.5” x 36” x 30.5”
Skeleton of dog, dentures, metal, fabric, beads, wire, rabbit foot, whistle, muscle, milagros, sardine can, argon mercury in a white phosphor tube.
Gift of Maurice Gray, donated in 2003
A mummy-like figure complete with muzzled skeletal remains is mounted on corrugated and riveted metal. Above the figure is a neon tube that reads “His Master's Voice” and a cutout holding teeth. The figure and use of remains brings to mind a Nkisi power figure, or reliquary. Animal remains, textiles, beads and other objects of importance capture the power of life force. “His Master's Voice” is a slogan and logo used by RCA Victor, displayed on the RCA blade sign in our permanent collection. The trademark image comes from a painting by English artist Francis Barraud. It was acquired in 1899 by the Gramophone Company and adopted as a trademark by the United States affiliate, the Victor Talking Machine Company. According to publicity material, the dog, Nipper, originally belonged to Barraud's brother. When his brother died, Francis inherited Nipper, along with a cylinder phonograph and recordings of the dog’s late owner. Barraud was fascinated with how the dog enjoyed listening to the sound of his deceased master. This work of mixed media art speaks to loss and memory, through the use of powerful and charged objects as well as a pop culture slogan and material of neon. This artwork subverts the material, and the slogan’s role as advertisement, into a haunting and ambiguous statement.