Michael Muller, Sharks, Art Edition No. 101-200 ‘Under Study’

Pigment print on Platine Archival Fibre Rag paper, 53.5 x 68 cm (21 x 26.8 in.), hardcover volume with two fold-outs in a metal cage, 33.0 x 44.0 cm (13.0 x 17.3 in.), 334 pages.Michael Muller has carved a career out of impressive encounters. Famed for his portraits of the world’s most elite actors, musicians, and sports stars, he has spent the last decade diving to ocean depths around the world to create one of the most spectacular portfolios of underwater shark photography.This Art Edition presents the best of Muller’s shark portfolio in its own metal shark cage, with the accompanying signed print Under Study, 2015. A catalogue of adrenaline and awe, the edition includes the first known photograph of a great white breaching at night, as well as essays from Philippe Cousteau, Jr., marine biologist Alison Kock, and culture writer Arty Nelson.The metal cage, each one unique in finish, is conceived by Muller to allow readers an even more vivid sense of his underwater encounters, as if they themselves were diving down to face the sharks. Each cage is individually distressed to reflect the effects of time and salt water.The accompanying print, Under Study, is a stunning, ethereal shot of a great hammerhead, the most notoriously elusive shark to photograph. Muller and his team spent a week off the Bimini Islands in the Bahamas to secure this close-up, capturing the 13-foot creature from below to reveal all its teeth and textural details.Limited Art Edition of 100 copies, signed by photographer Michael Muller. Each edition is presented in its own metal shark cage, with the accompanying signed Archival Platine Print Under Study, 2015.The photographer:Los Angeles–based photographer Michael Muller has circled the globe shooting celebrities, rock stars, outlaw bikers, super heroes, and elite athletes for such publications as Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, and Harper’s Bazaar. In 2007 he turned his lens underwater and began photographing sharks as they’ve never been seen before.The contributing authors:Arty Nelson has written essays for monographs and artist catalogs on Wes Lang, Chris Johanson, Ed Templeton, and the critically acclaimed Beautiful Losers show.Dr. Alison Kock is a marine biologist and the research manager for the City of Cape Town’s acclaimed Shark Spotters Program. She is a member of the South African Acoustic Tracking Array Platform, is a project leader for the Save Our Seas Foundation, and scientific advisor for the South African Shark Conservancy.Philippe Cousteau, Jr. is a prominent leader in the environmental movement. An award-winning television host, producer, author, speaker, philanthropist, and social entrepreneur, Philippe is the son of Philippe Cousteau, Sr. and grandson of Jacques Cousteau.