Felix Gonzalez-Torres
“Untitled” (Water)
1994
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Felix Gonzalez-Torres
“Untitled” (Water)
1994
Physical Qualities
Strands of beads and hanging device, Dimensions vary with installation
Credit Line
Purchase with exchange funds from Bequest of Saidie A. May
Object Number
1995.73
For Felix Gonzalez-Torres, “Untitled” (Water) was rich with meaning. Its fluid strands of blue, silver, and clear beads evoked warm memories of the sea and alluded to water inside the human body. Installed across a threshold between two open spaces, the curtain also suggests a person’s passage from one place or state to another. Familiar commercially-fabricated strands of plastic beads help the viewer connect with the artwork on a personal level. The artist goes even further by inviting viewers to touch the beads, move through the sculpture, and feel themselves enveloped by the long strands. Asked about his creative strategy, the artist observed: “...I don’t attach sentiment to mass-produced materials or objects, they already have it. I just make them obvious.”
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 1995; Andrea Rosen Gallery, NY; the artist
Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea, Santiago de Compostela, December 12, 1995-March 3, 1996.
1999 Carnegie International, November 4, 1999-March 26, 2000.
Helen Molesworth, BMA, "Bodyspace," February 11-May 27 2001.
Catsou Roberts and Barry Schwabsky, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, "Shimmering Substance," April 27, 2002-June 23, 2002; Cornerhouse Gallery, Manchester, July 13, 2002-September 1, 2002
Gregory Salzman, The Koffler Gallery, Koffler Centre of the Arts, Toronto, "Regarding Landscapes," May 12, 2002-June 30, 2002.
Miami Art Museum, "Marking Time, Moving Images," May 13-September 11, 2005.
The Filatoio, Centro Sperimentale per le Arti Contemporanee (CeSAC), "Il Velo (The Veil)", October 27, 2007-February 24, 2008.
The Aspen Museum of Art, "Now You See It." December 18, 2008 - February 1, 2009, cat. p. 97, ill. pp. 60-61.
Nav Haq, Arnolfini, Bristol, "The Sea Wall: Felix Gonzalez-Torres/Haegue Yang," July 16 – September 11, 2011.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,“Passages: Felix Gonzalez-Torres,” January 08, - October 15, 2013.
Institut d'art contemporain Vielleurbanne, France, "RIDEAUX/blinds", February 5-May 3, 2015.
Massimo De Carlo, "Felix Gonzales-Torres". May 3, 2016-June 30, 2016.
Tacoma Art Museum, "Art Aids America", June 6, 2015 - September 11, 2016, circulated to Zuckerman Museum of Art at Kennesaw State University, February 20, 2016 - May 22, 2016, Bronx Museum, June 23, 2016 - September 11, 2016.
Palais de Tokyo, "Tino Sehgal". October 12, 2016 - December 18, 2016.
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, "Queer Abstraction", October 1, 2019- April 15, 2020.
1999 Carnegie International, November 4, 1999-March 26, 2000.
Helen Molesworth, BMA, "Bodyspace," February 11-May 27 2001.
Catsou Roberts and Barry Schwabsky, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, "Shimmering Substance," April 27, 2002-June 23, 2002; Cornerhouse Gallery, Manchester, July 13, 2002-September 1, 2002
Gregory Salzman, The Koffler Gallery, Koffler Centre of the Arts, Toronto, "Regarding Landscapes," May 12, 2002-June 30, 2002.
Miami Art Museum, "Marking Time, Moving Images," May 13-September 11, 2005.
The Filatoio, Centro Sperimentale per le Arti Contemporanee (CeSAC), "Il Velo (The Veil)", October 27, 2007-February 24, 2008.
The Aspen Museum of Art, "Now You See It." December 18, 2008 - February 1, 2009, cat. p. 97, ill. pp. 60-61.
Nav Haq, Arnolfini, Bristol, "The Sea Wall: Felix Gonzalez-Torres/Haegue Yang," July 16 – September 11, 2011.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,“Passages: Felix Gonzalez-Torres,” January 08, - October 15, 2013.
Institut d'art contemporain Vielleurbanne, France, "RIDEAUX/blinds", February 5-May 3, 2015.
Massimo De Carlo, "Felix Gonzales-Torres". May 3, 2016-June 30, 2016.
Tacoma Art Museum, "Art Aids America", June 6, 2015 - September 11, 2016, circulated to Zuckerman Museum of Art at Kennesaw State University, February 20, 2016 - May 22, 2016, Bronx Museum, June 23, 2016 - September 11, 2016.
Palais de Tokyo, "Tino Sehgal". October 12, 2016 - December 18, 2016.
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, "Queer Abstraction", October 1, 2019- April 15, 2020.
Molesworth, Helen. Bodyspace. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Museum of Art, 2001, unpaged
Nancy G. Heller, 'Why Painting is Like Pizza: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Modern Art,' Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002, p.144, ill. no. 77.
Alexander, Darsie. Dan Steinhilber. Front Room. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Museum of Art, 2006, detail.
Hedii Zuckerman Jacbson et al., "New You See It," Aspen Art Press, Aspen, Colorado, 2008, p. 60-61.
Baltimore Museum of Art. The Baltimore Museum of Art: Celebrating a Museum. Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2014.
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Inscribed: none
Artist
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
1956–1995
born Guáimaro, Cuba 1957; died Miami, FL 1996
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