FELIX GONZALEZ-TORRES

Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957–1996) is one of the most consequential artists of the last 50 years. Born in Cuba and raised on both sides of the Atlantic, Gonzalez-Torres moved to New York City in 1979, where he came to prominence against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, the culture wars, and a resurgent interest in the strategies of conceptual art. Leveraging minimal artistic means for maximal emotional effect, he transformed everyday materials into poetic meditations on love, loss, and the passage of time. His 1987–1990 “Untitled” (Perfect Lovers) is composed of two battery-powered clocks, hung side-by-side and initially set to the same time, that inevitably tick apart. His 1991 “Untitled” (Go-Go Dancing Platform) is a blue pedestal ringed with 48 lightbulbs, where a dancer may appear, unannounced, for a few minutes each day. Other works invite viewer participation—to take candy from a pile or sheets of paper from a stack that will eventually disappear and then be replenished by their exhibitor.