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Cob II

1977–80
Not on view
According to Grossman, "your head, which is the seat of your hang-ups, is also your most powerful organ." Cob II, the title of which means a leader or chief, embodies this contradictory notion by unsettling the distinction between subjugation and domination. The figure seen here is a preposterous mutant—part human, part beast, part monster—whose stitched leather mask reads as armor, prison, and sadomasochistic prop all in one.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cob II
  • Artist: Nancy Grossman (American, born 1940)
  • Date: 1977–80
  • Medium: Wood, leather, painted horn, lacquer, and lead
  • Dimensions: 33 1/2 × 9 × 13 in., 12.1 lb. (85.1 × 22.9 × 33 cm, 5.5 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Barbara and Eugene Schwartz, 1988
  • Object Number: 1988.417.7a, b
  • Rights and Reproduction: Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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