December 16, 2022 through April 23, 2023
As one of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ (1957 – 1996) powerful candy-spill works, “Untitled” (L.A.) finds beauty in the everyday by transforming a bounty of wrapped candies into a dazzling arrangement of color, form, and texture.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres (American, born in Cuba, 1957 – 1996), “Untitled” (L.A.), 1991, green candies individually wrapped in cellophane, endless supply, overall dimensions vary with installation, original weight: 22.7 kg (50 lbs). Jointly owned by Art Bridges and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
By removing a piece of candy, the physical form of the sculpture is altered, ‘activating’ the work in a sensory and personal way. The intimate nature and fluctuating structure of Gonzalez-Torres’ candy works are often interpreted as being related to tragedy in the artist’s private life. “Untitled” (L.A.) was created in 1991, the same year that Gonzalez-Torres’s beloved partner Ross Laycock lost his life due to an AIDS-related illness. The gradual depletion and replenishment of Gonzalez-Torres’s candy-spills seems metaphoric, potentially representing the deterioration of a human body ravaged by illness. At the same time, it can be seen as a type of immortality generated through ritual remembrance and continual recreation. However, Gonzalez-Torres avoided assigning explicit interpretations to his candy works, preferring them to remain available for us to experience in a personal way.
Jointly owned by Art Bridges and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Banner image: Copyright Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Courtesy of The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation. Photo by John Aasp.