Felix Gonzalez-Torres

American, born Cuba, 1957 - 1996

Cuban-born artist Felix González-Torres made works related to issues such as the AIDS epidemic and the fight for queer rights. González-Torres used the rigid geometries, repeated forms, and single-color palettes of minimalist art to communicate his political messages.

The artist also made many works that invite active audience participation. He often included materials such as licorice pieces, fortune cookies, chocolate, bubble gum, and candies in bright wrappers.

His 1991 work “Untitled” (Ross in L.A.)  allows viewers to take sheets of paper from a large stack, depleting it over time. This work speaks to grief, loss, censorship, and homophobia, bringing a personal perspective to contemporary social issues.

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We look down onto a tidy stack of hundreds of sheets of white paper, which sits on a gray, speckled floor in this photograph. The top sheet is printed with a small, dove-gray rectangle at the center. A corner of the stack angles toward us, with the short side of the sheets to our left and the long side to our right.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, "Untitled" (Ross in L.A.), 1991, print on paper, endless copies, Gift of the Collectors Committee and Emily and Mitchell Rales, 2017.51.1

"Untitled" (Ross in L.A.)

Felix Gonzalez-Torres · 1991 · print on paper, endless copies ·  Accession ID  2017.51.1

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Untitled

Felix Gonzalez-Torres, The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation · 1991 · offset lithograph on wove paper (endless copies) ·  Accession ID  2015.30.1.x1-x3

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Impression from "Untitled"

Felix Gonzalez-Torres, The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation · 1991 · offset lithograph in black on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.28.1