Overview
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, one of the most influential artists of his generation, lived and worked resolutely according to his own idealistic principles, determined to "make this a better place for everyone." He combined elements of Conceptual art, Minimalism, political activism, and poetic beauty in an ever-expanding arsenal of media, including public billboards, give-away piles of candy and posters, and ordinary objects--clocks, mirrors, light fixtures--used to startling effect. His work challenged the notions of public and private space, originality, authorship and--most significantly--the authoritative structures in which he and his viewers functioned. Editor Julie Ault has amassed the first comprehensive monograph to span Gonzalez-Torres's career. In the spirit of his method, she rethinks the very idea of what a monograph should be. The book, which places strong emphasis on the written word, contains newly commissioned texts by Robert Storr and Miwon Kwon among other notables, as well as significant critical essays, exhibition statements, transcripts from lectures, personal correspondence, and writings that influenced Gonzalez-Torres and his work. Ample visual documentation adds another important layer of content. We see works not just in their completed state, but often in process, which for Gonzalez-Torres could mean the process of disappearing as viewers interacted with them. A crucial reference.
Synopsis
Edited by Julie Ault. Essays by Robert Storr and Miwon Kwon.
Library Journal
Cuban-born Gonzalez-Torres is probably best known for his potent billboard project, in which austere photographs of an empty, rumpled, white bed were placed at over 20 locations around New York City to serve as reminders of the dogged AIDS crisis. The artist does not confine himself to one medium, however. Gonzalez-Torres has exhibited text paintings, designed photographic jigsaw puzzles, enlisted live gallery performers, and created sculpture in the form of stacks of paper, which viewers are invited to take away. On the surface, his work is reminiscent of the minimalists, but form is not his exclusive concern. His pieces function as three-dimensional poetry that, above all, requires a public to engage it. Part of the publisher's series highlighting emerging artists, this book catalogs most of the artist's recent work in the form of handsome photodocumentation. Accompanying texts include an introduction by Susan Cahill and an extended conversation with fellow artist Tim Rollins. Though not especially provocative, the discusssion is appealing for its tone of two friends casually but genuinely discussing lofty artistic concepts. Certainly not the last book on this fine young artist, this is a fine summation of his career so far. Recommended for large art collections.-Douglas McClemont, New York