Felix Gonzalez-Torres

A reevaluation of one of the most influential artists of the highly politicized 1990s art scene that considers how audiences today experience his simply presented yet provocative workMore than thirty years after his untimely death, the work of Cuban American artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957–1996) is more relevant than ever. This book offers a timely reassessment of his groundbreaking practice, which challenged assumptions about the roles of artist and viewer. Emerging amid the contentious cultural landscape of 1990s New York, Gonzalez-Torres created works that defy characterization as either sculpture or film, photography or performance. He drew from his personal experience and from those in his community contending with the HIV/AIDS crisis to explore themes of identity, loss, and memory. Using deceptively simple materials—hard candies, clocks, strings of lights—he produced works of profound emotional and political force that continue to resonate. This book:Features more than thirty works of art by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, spanning his short but prolific careerBrings together insightful new essays by leading scholars, as well as a dialogue with Ann Goldstein, a friend and early champion of the artistPlaces the artist’s work in the context of activism around LGBTQIA+ rights in 1990s New York CityExplains the emotional depth, personal expression, and biographical references behind the artist’s political and Conceptual installationsExploring questions of identity, authorship, and the role of cultural institutions, this catalogue situates Gonzalez-Torres’s unique practice within its original historical conditions while also interrogating how it relates to concerns at the forefront of today’s cultural debates.Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY(June 10–October 19, 2027)Art Institute of Chicago(June 10–October 19, 2027)