Félix González-Torres
Félix González-Torres was a Cuban-American artist born on November 26, 1957, in Guaimaro, Cuba, who became a significant figure within the contemporary art scene of the late 20th century. After relocating to Spain and then Puerto Rico, he moved to New York City to pursue his studies in the arts at the Pratt Institute, where he graduated with a degree in photography. González-Torres was known for his innovative use of everyday materials and interactive installations that invited viewer participation, encouraging a deeper engagement with themes of love, loss, and mortality. His notable works include "Untitled (Billboard of an Empty Bed)," created in memory of his partner Ross Laycock, which poignantly addressed the impact of AIDS on personal relationships.
Throughout his career, González-Torres explored the fragility of life through impermanent art forms, often incorporating elements that would physically diminish over time, symbolizing life's transience. Despite his passing in 1996 due to AIDS complications, his work continues to resonate, influencing subsequent generations of artists. The Félix González-Torres Foundation was established in 2002 to preserve his legacy, and he was posthumously recognized at the Venice Biennale in 2007, underscoring his lasting significance in the art world.
Félix González-Torres
Visual artist
- Born: November 26, 1957
- Birthplace: Guaimaro, Cuba
- Died: January 9, 1996
- Place of death: Miami, Florida
Education: University of Puerto Rico; Pratt Institute; International Center of Photography; New York University
Significance: Félix González-Torres's groundbreaking installations are famous for their simplicity and ability to combine poetic meditations on love and loss into otherwise ordinary, everyday materials. Despite his short career, his artwork, which was often intended to be endlessly reproducible, continues to influence audiences even years after his death.
Background
Félix González-Torres was born on November 26, 1957, in Guaimaro, Cuba, and he was the third of four children. The year he was born, he and his sister, Gloria, relocated to an orphanage in Madrid, Spain, before eventually settling in Puerto Rico with their uncle. In 1976, he graduated from Colegio San Jorge and started taking art classes at the University of Puerto Rico while getting involved with the local art scene.
González-Torres moved to New York City in 1979 to attend the Pratt Institute, where he earned his bachelor of fine arts degree in photography. The New York art scene at that time was undergoing many changes. Artists were responding to the dying of the minimalist movement with opposing strategies of neo-expressionist painting and the various methods of postmodernism, which often focused on photography, appropriation, and cultural critique. During his time at the Pratt Institute, González-Torres participated in the Whitney Independent Study Program in 1980 and again in 1983. He credited the program with introducing him to the theoretical framework that shaped his early art.
He graduated from the Pratt Institute in 1983, and the following year Printed Matter Inc. hosted his first solo exhibit. González-Torres obtained his master of fine arts degree from the International Center of Photography and New York University in 1987. He then worked at New York University until 1989 as an adjunct art instructor.
Life's Work
Between 1987 and 1991, González-Torres worked with Group Material, an art collective based in New York City whose members worked together to spur community education and cultural activism. Using simple, everyday materials, such as stacks of paper or candy, González-Torres often asked viewers to participate in establishing meaning in his works. His "dateline" pieces, which he began in 1987, compiled lists of various dates in random order interspersed with the names of social and political figures and references to cultural artifacts or world events, many of which were related to political and cultural history. The lists were printed in white type on black sheets of paper and prompted viewers to consider the relationships and gaps between the references. His dateline portraits of specific people were made up of similar lists of dates and events related to the subjects' lives.
In addition to inviting viewers of his work to participate in establishing meaning, González-Torres often invited physical engagement from his audience. For example, his sculptures of wrapped candies spilled in corners or spread on floors defied the conventional art world, as viewers were not only asked to touch the work but also to consume it. He would also create sculptures out of stacks of paper and encourage viewers to take the sheets, which were often printed with texts or photographs. The impermanence of the works, which would slowly disappear over time, were seen as a symbol of the fragility of life.
González-Torres's more popular works were sculptures consisting of strands of plastic beads strung on metal rods like curtains. He began producing the sculptures in 1991, with titles such as Untitled (Chemo) and Untitled (Blood), which would take away from their otherwise festive association and instead make the viewer think of illness and disease. In 1992, he created a series of sculptures consisting of strands of white, low-watt lightbulbs that could be shown in a number of configurations, such as strung along walls, from ceilings, or coiled on the floor.
One of González-Torres's inspirations was his long-term relationship with his partner, Ross Laycock, who moved to the United States from Canada in 1980. The two met in 1983, and when Laycock died of AIDS-related complications in 1991, his life and death had a profound effect on González-Torres. As a memorial to Laycock, González-Torres created an art installation seen throughout New York City. Untitled (Billboard of an Empty Bed) portrayed a black-and-white image of González-Torres's empty, unmade bed with traces of two absent bodies. The image was installed on two dozen billboards throughout the city.
González-Torres received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1989 and 1993, and participated in hundreds of group shows during his lifetime. Comprehensive retrospectives of his work have been organized by several museums across the United States and worldwide, and his work continues to be celebrated into the twenty-first century. González-Torres died in Miami on January 9, 1996, from complications of AIDS.
Impact
González-Torres's body of work continues to resonate with new generations of artists, even years after his death. The Félix González-Torres Foundation was set up in 2002 to honor and continue the artist's legacy. In 2007, González-Torres became the second American artist to be posthumously chosen to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale, which is a large, prestigious art show held every other year in Italy.
Personal Life
González-Torres's longtime partner, Ross Laycock, passed away in 1991.
Principal Works
Untitled (Loverboy), 1989
Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1987–1990
Untitled (Death by Gun), 1990
Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), 1990
Untitled (Go-Go Dancing Platform), 1991
Untitled (Billboard of an Empty Bed), 1991
Untitled (It's Just a Matter of Time), 1992
Untitled (Petit Palais), 1992
Bibliography
"Félix González-Torres." Andrea Rosen Gallery. 2017. www.andrearosengallery.com/artists/felix-gonzalez-torres. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.
"Félix González-Torres." Artsy.net, www.artsy.net/artist/felix-gonzalez-torres. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.
"Félix González-Torres." Guggenheim, www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/felix-gonzalez-torres. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.
"Félix González-Torres Artist Overview and Analysis." TheArtStory.org, 2017, www.theartstory.org/artist-gonzalez-torres-felix-artworks.htm#pnt‗1. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.
Miller, M.H. "A Colossal New Show Revisits a Conceptual Art Icon." New York Times, 11 May 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/t-magazine/art/felix-gonzalez-torres-zwirner-new-york-show.html. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.