Shark

“The sharks, ancient or modern, real or imaginary, have always been with us, and will probably remain with us forever. They appear not only in movies and literature, but in countless permutations of size, shape, and materials, permeating our daily lives with their silent menace. In a sense, humans live in a world replete with sharks, not vice-versa.”

Thus Richard Ellis sets about chronicling and debunking the myths of sharks throughout history. From 18th century art to the phenomena of JAWS, “the shark” has remained the indomitable aggressor of the deep, the last demon of humankind. The image of the shark and the fear it inspires infiltrates our daily lives with its mythical power and strength.  But it is not man who should fear the shark. Our need to dominate these predators is destroying them and their habitat. Through hundreds of full-color images Ellis proves the necessity of preserving these majestic creatures. As curator of the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Arts exhibition entitled “Shark”, debuting May 2012, Ellis adeptly turns these sleek, efficient hunters from monsters of the deep into rare, beautiful forces of nature.

The image of the shark infiltrates our daily lives, from fighter planes to bedspreads, mascots to video games. Theyre even used as supposed cancer cures, and served as delicacies in shark-fin soup. Our fear and need to dominate these predators is destroying the marine ecosystem, and Ellis proves the necessity of preserving these majestic creatures through over 100, full-color pages. Ellis adeptly turns these sleek, efficient hunters from monsters of the deep into rare, beautiful forces of nature.

Richard Ellis is one of Americas most celebrated marine artists and writers. A research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, he is also the author of sixteen books, including Imagining Atlantis, The Search for the Giant Squid, Great White Shark, Men and Whales, Deep Atlantic, and Singing Whales and Flying Squid.