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"Untitled"

Gray letters and numbers spell out words and dates in English that wrap along the top edge of a gallery wall, a corner of which reads, "Rosa 1977 Great Society 1964 Blue Flowers 1984 Silver Ocean 1990 Ross 1983."
© The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation.

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  • Gray letters and numbers spell out words and dates in English that wrap along the top edge of a gallery wall, a corner of which reads, "Rosa 1977 Great Society 1964 Blue Flowers 1984 Silver Ocean 1990 Ross 1983."

Date:

1989

Artist:

Felix Gonzalez-Torres
American, born Cuba, 1957-1996

About this artwork

The self-portrait “Untitled” is composed of words and dates that are installed as a friezelike text near the ceiling of this gallery. This uncommon and deceptively simple approach exemplifies the quiet, conceptual nature of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s work. “Untitled” interweaves personal milestones with communal events of our historical era. The artist did not limit the inscriptions to events that occurred between his birth and death. In fact, as the co-owner of the work, the Art Institute must add and subtract events, thereby granting the installation—and the artist himself—a form of renewable life. This piece reminds us that all human identity is mutable and open-ended.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Felix Gonzalez-Torres

Title

"Untitled"

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1989

Medium

Enamel paint on wall

Dimensions

Dimensions vary with installation

Credit Line

The Art Institute of Chicago, bequest of Carolyn Spiegel; Watson F. Blair Prize, Muriel Kallis Newman, Sara Szold and Modern and Contemporary Discretionary funds; Samuel and Sarah Deson and Oscar L. Gerber Memorial endowments; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Accessions Committee Fund Purchase: gift of Jean and James E. Douglas Jr., Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein, Collectors Forum, Doris and Don Fisher, Niko and Steve Mayer, Elaine McKeon, and Danielle and Brooks Walker Jr.

Reference Number

2002.80

Copyright

© The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation.

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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