Felix Gonzalez-Torres

The man who created an iconic vocabulary.

Project 34: Felix Gonzalez-Torres:May 16-June 30 1992

Last night I was reading Nancy Spector's amazingly lucid book on the work of Felix Gonzalez-Torres. A lucid art book read is not a usual thing and I loved Spector's precision in situating Gonzalez-Torres' work within the context of the post-modern/ post-colonial activism of the Early 90's . I did not know, for instance about the heavy relevance the collective Group Material bore regarding the artist's career. Here is an excerpt of what Spector had to say which totally reinvigorated me this morning.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres forever!

Felix Gonzalez-Torres is TI's great conceptualist master of the 90's. I remember going to the new MOMA upon its re-opening and feeling sheepish about taking one of his stacked posters. But that was the intent. Genius.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Untitled: Canada: 1995

There are certain artists who come along with ideas that not only define, but also change their times. Warhol in the 60's . Beuys in the 70's. Koons for the 80's and this is where I get myself in trouble- Felix Gonzalez-Torres for the 90's. Yes, yes Damien Hirst is the monolithic art-star of that era but the aforementioned hall of fame is personal and idiosyncratic. The thing I love about Felix Gonzalez-Torres is that I grew up with his imagery in NYC yet had no idea who he was, in the same that Warhol, Beuys and Koons invaded and warped my consciousness before I even learnt to process the "cool images" as "art". That is the power of the greatest art. It confronts you at the strangest turn, even when you don't know its name. This is why I was so excited today at The Strand bookstore, when I found this legendary volume on Gonzalez-Torres, published by The Guggenheim Museum in 1995 on the occasion of his solo exhibition . It has long been out of print and was reissued by the Museum this year, when Gonzalez-Torres was chosen to represent the United States at the 2007 Venice Biennale.