Felix Gonzalez-Torres American, born Cuba, 1957-1996
About this artwork
Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s work is consistently characterized by a sense of quiet elegy. One of the defining moments in his widely influential career, “Untitled” can be considered a self-portrait in the form of words and dates. First realized in 1989, the work expanded with subsequent installations until the artist’s premature death in 1996, and can continue to shift in ongoing manifestations. The portrait joins historical events and enigmatic personal milestones into a running text placed close to the ceiling. Such an installation is reminiscent of traditional friezes carved on the faces of public architecture, including the facade of the Art Institute’s 1893 Allerton Building, which includes artists’ names chiseled into a horizontal band. By offering clues to a personal history in a commemorative form normally dedicated to institutional use, Gonzalez-Torres undercuts the public and official in favor of the private and subjective, reminding us that an individual’s identity is not always reducible to an image captured on canvas or etched in marble. “Untitled” can change each time it is installed and may be presented in an infinite variety of ways. Its owner is obliged to consider adding (or subtracting) events, including ones subsequent to the artist’s death, ensuring that it remains relevant and dynamic.
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.
James Rondeau, “Untitled,” Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies 29, 2 (2003), pp. 86-87 (color ill.).
Elina Kountouri, with Donstantinos A. Papagerogiou, Maria D. Efthymiou, Maria Vlasopoulou, Peggy Dara, Kanis Kafantaris, Elli Droilia, and Elli Droulia, Portals, exh. cat. (Athens: NEON Foundation, 2021), 30, 92-95 color ills.), 288, 289 (color ill.), 393.
Brooklyn Museum of Art, Untitled. An Installation by Felix Gonzalez-Torres as Part of the Visual AIDS Program, Dec. 1, 1989–Jan. 1, 1989, artist’s statement, no cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Paris 1985 Blue Flowers 1984 Harry the Dog 1983 Blue Lake 1986 Interferon 1989 Ross 1983
Vancouver, University of British Columbia Fine Arts Gallery, Strange Ways, Here We Come: Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Donald Moffett, Nov. 16–Dec. 10, 1990, no cat no.
Red Canoe 1987 Paris 1985 Harry the Dog 1983 Blue Lake 1987 Interferon 1989 Ross 1984
Lyon, Espace Lyonnais d’Art Contemporain, Here’s Looking at Me/À mes beaux yeux: Autoportraits contemporains, Jan. 29–Apr. 30, 1993, no cat no.
Red Canoe 1987 Paris 1985 L.A. 1990 President Clinton 1992 Harry the Dog 1983 Blue Lake 1986 Interferon 1989 Ross 1984 March on Washington 1987 An Easy Death 1991 Dad 1986 Jeff 1978 Lover Boys 1990 Blue Flowers 1984 Stock Market Crash 1987 Supreme Court 1986 White Shirt 1984 Soft Pillow 1990
Aspen, Tavelli Gallery, Group Show, July 15–Aug. 7, 1993, no cat.
[No current existing record of text]
Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Traveling, Apr. 24–June 19, 1994, not in cat; Washington, D.C., Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, June 16–Sept. 11, 1994; Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, Sept. 25–Nov. 6, 1994 (Washington D.C. only).
Red Canoe 1987 Paris 1985 President Clinton 1992 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Güaimaro 1957 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Great Society 1964 Ollie 1986 Hollywood 1915 U.N. 1945 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 H-Bomb 1954 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 CDC 1981 May 1968 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 A view to remember 1994
An alternate version of this text exists that was not used. Please see the note at the end of the Exhibition History.
New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Mar. 3–May 10, 1995, not in cat; Santiago de Compostela, Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: A Possible Landscape, Dec. 12, 1995–Mar. 3, 1996; Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Girlfriend in a Coma, Apr. 11–June 16, 1996, (Santiago de Compostela and Paris only).
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawamaisa Lake 1987 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Hannover, Sprengel Museum, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, June 1¬–Aug. 24, 1997, cat. 70, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Sept. 6¬–Nov. 16, 1997; Vienna, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Sept. 12-Nov. 1, 1998 (St. Gallen only).
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawanaisa Lake 1987 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
This is the same text that was used for the exhibition Felix Gonzalez-Torres held in 1995 in Santiago de Compostela and in 1996 in Paris.
Casino Luxembourg, Forum d’art Contemporain, Manifesta 2: European Biennial of Contemporary Art, June 28–Oct. 11, 1998, not in cat.
[No definitive or lasting record of text, however, installation images indicate a strong similarity with the events and corresponding dates that were used to manifest the work at CGAG, MAM, and St. Gallen]
Vienna, Kunsthalle Wien, Cuba: Maps of Desire, Mar. 19–May 30, 1999, no cat. no.; Kunstraum Innsbruck, June 9–Sept. 18, 1999; Nikolaj Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center, June 18–Aug. 15, 1999.
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawanaisa Lake 1987 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Bilbao, Guggenheim Museum, International Currents in Contemporary Art, July 24, 1999–Jan. 9, 2000, no cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawanaisa Lake 1987 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
This is the same text that was used for the exhibition Felix Gonzalez-Torres held in 1995 in Santiago de Compostela and in 1996 in Paris, as well as the exhibition Felix Gonzales-Torres held in St. Gallen in1998.
Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie International 1999/2000, Nov. 6, 1999–Mar. 26, 2000, no cat. no.
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawanaisa Lake 1987 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 CAPC Bordeaux 2000–2001 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 L.A. 1990 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
London, Serpentine Gallery, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, June 1–July 16, 2000, no cat no.
Watercolours 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apt. 1976 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 N.Y. City 1979 Pebbles & Biko 1985 Elian 1999 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Julie 1987 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Andrea 1990 L.A. 1990 Sprengel Museum 1997
An alternate version of this text exists that was not used. Please see note at the end of the Exhibition History.
Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Versiones del Sur: No es sólo lo que ves: pervirtiendo el minimalismo, Dec. 12, 2000–Feb. 19, 2001, no cat no.
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Elian 1999 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 United National Millennium Summit 2000 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Ten Year Anniversary 2000 Interferon 1989 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 MoMA “Making Choices” 2000 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Serpentine 2000 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 L.A. 1990 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Points of Departure II: Connecting with Contemporary Art, Nov. 17, 2001–June 9, 2002, no cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Genome Project 2001 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Lymington Road 2000 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Elian 1999 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 New War 2001 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Serpentine 1994 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Before Night Falls 1990–2001 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Ten Year Anniversary 2000 Interferon 1989 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 MoMA “Making Choices” 2000 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Serpentine 2000 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 L.A. 1990 #24 2000 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Dijon, Le Consortium, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Nov. 21, 2001–Feb. 2, 2002, no cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Genome Project 2001 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Lymington Road 2000 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Elian 1999 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 New War 2001 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Serpentine 1994 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Before Night Falls 1990–2001 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Ten Year Anniversary 2000 Interferon 1989 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 MoMA “Making Choices” 2000 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Serpentine 2000 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 L.A. 1990 #24 2000 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
This is the same text used in the exhibition Points of Departure II: Connecting with Contemporary Art, held in 2001 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Art Institute of Chicago, Collection Rotation, June 2003–Apr. 2008, no cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Jeff 1978 Venice 1985 May 1968 Bruno and Mary 1991 Great Society 1964 New York City 1979 Watercolors 1964 George Nelson Clocks 1993 Our Own Apartment 1976 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Lover Boys 1990 Placebo 1991 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Berlin Wall 1989 Black Monday 1987 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 Sloane-Kettering 1995 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 D-Day 1944 VCR 1978 Bay of Pigs 1961 Interferon 1989 H-Bomb 1954 March on Washington 1987 Silver Ocean 1990 Madrid 1971 L.A. 1990 White Shirt 1984 Blue Flowers 1984 CDC 1981 A view to remember 1995 Myriam 1990
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Between Art and Life: The Contemporary Painting and Sculpture Collection, July 1, 2004–January 21, 2007, no cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Genome Project 2001 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Lymington Road 2000 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Elian 1999 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 New War 2001 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Serpentine 1994 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Before Night Falls 1990–2001 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Ten Year Anniversary 2000 Interferon 1989 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 San Francisco Weddings 2004 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Serpentine 2000 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 L.A. 1990 #24 2000 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Bristol, Arnolfini, This Storm Is What We Call Progress, Sept. 10¬–Oct. 23, 2005, no cat no.
Red Canoe 1987 Genome Project 2001 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Lymington Road 2000 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Elian 1999 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 New War 2001 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Serpentine 1994 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Before Night Falls 1990–2001 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Ten Year Anniversary 2000 Interferon 1989 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 San Francisco Weddings 2004 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Serpentine 2000 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 L.A. 1990 #24 2000 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Berlin, Hamburger Bahnhof Museum für Gegenwart, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Oct. 1, 2006–Jan. 9, 2007, no cat no.
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Genome Project 2001 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Lymington Road 2000 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Elian 1999 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 New War 2001 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Serpentine 1994 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Before Night Falls 1990-2001 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Ten Year Anniversary 2000 Jeff 1978 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Interferon 1989 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb1954 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 San Francisco Weddings 2004 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Serpentine 2000 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 #24 2000 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 L.A. 1990 A view to remember 1995
Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Somewhere/Nowhere, Sept. 5–Nov. 3, 2008, no cat no.; Mexico City, Museo Universitario Arte Contemporaneo, Feb. 27–May 30, 2010, no cat no.
MALBA:
Red Canoe 1987 Jeff 1978 Venice 1985 May 1968 Bruno and Mary 1991 Great Society 1964 New York City 1979 Watercolors 1964 George Nelson Clocks 1993 Our Own Apartment 1976 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Lover Boys 1990 Placebo 1991 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Berlin Wall 1989 Black Monday 1987 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 Sloane-Kettering 1995 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 D-Day 1944 VCR 1978 Bay of Pigs 1961 Interferon 1989 H-Bomb 1954 March on Washington 1987 Silver Ocean 1990 Madrid 1971 L.A. 1990 White Shirt 1984 Blue Flowers 1984 CDC 1981 A view to remember 1995 Myriam 1990
This is the same text used in the Collection Rotation held at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003.
MUAC:
Red Canoe 1987 Genome Project 2001 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Lymington Road 2000 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Elian 1999 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 New War 2001 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Serpentine 1994 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Before Night Falls 1990–2001 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Ten Year Anniversary 2000 Interferon 1989 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 San Francisco Weddings 2004 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Serpentine 2000 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 L.A. 1990 #24 2000 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Art Institute of Chicago, Inaugural Installation of the Modern Wing, May 15¬, 2009–July 2011, no cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Madrid 1971 Mariel Boatlift 1980 An Easy Death 1991 VCR 1978 Supreme Court 1986 Venice 1985 Paris 1985 Watercolors 1964 CDC 1981 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Great Society 1964 Blue Flowers 1984 Silver Ocean 1990 Ross 1983 Civil Rights 1964 MTV 1981 Proposition 8 2008 Berlin Wall 1989 L.A. 1990 New York City 1979 Election Night Grant Park 2008 CNN 1980 Lover Boys 1990 Interferon 1989 Soft Pillow 1990 March on Washington 1987 Sloan-Kettering 1995 Julie 1987 Black Monday 1987 Placebo 1991 Güaimaro 1957
New York, FLAG Art Foundation, Floating a Boulder: Works by Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Jim Hodges, Oct. 1, 2009–Jan. 31, 2010, no cat no.
Red Canoe 1987 Madrid 1971 Mariel Boatlift 1980 VCR 1978 Venice 1985 An Easy Death 1991 Supreme Court 1986 Paris 1985 Blue Lake 1986 Ross 1985 Dad 1991 Güaimaro 1957 Watercolors 1964 Mother 1986 CDC 1981 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Silver Ocean 1990 Civil Rights Act 1964 MTV 1981 H-Bomb 1954 Bay of Pigs 1961 Proposition 8 2008 Berlin Wall 1989 LA 1990 New York City 1979 CNN 1980 March on Washington 1987 Great Society 1964 Election Night Grant Park 2008 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Lover Boys 1990 A view to remember 1995 Julie 1987 Placebo 1991 Black Monday 1987 White Shirt 1984 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Death 1996 Rafael 1992 George Nelson Clock 1993 Blue Flowers 1984 Soft Pillow 1990
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 75 Years of Looking Forward: The Anniversary Show, Dec. 16, 2009–Jan. 19, 2011, not in cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Genome Project 2001 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Lymington Road 2000 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Elian 1999 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 New War 2001 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Serpentine 1994 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 Barack Obama 2009 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Ten Year Anniversary 2000 Interferon 1989 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 San Francisco Weddings 2004 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Serpentine 2000 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 L.A. 1990 #24 2000 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Brussels, WIELS Contemporary Art Center, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Specific Objects without Specific Form, Jan.16–Apr. 25, 2010, extended to May 2, 2010 (curated by Elena Filipovic, Jan. 16–Feb. 28, 2010, reinstalled by guest artist curator Dahn Vo, Mar. 5–May2, 2010), cat. forthcoming; Riehen, Fondation Beyeler, May 22 to Aug. 29, 2010 (curated by Elena Filipovic, May 22–July 25, 2010, reinstalled by guest artist curator Carol Bove, July 29–Aug. 29, 2010); Frankfurt, Museum Für Moderne Kunst, Jan. 29–Apr. 25, 2011 (curated by Elena Filipovic, Jan. 29–Mar. 14, 2011, reinstalled by guest artist curator Tino Sehgal, Mar. 18–Apr. 25, 2011)
WIELS:
Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 D-Day 1944 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 Red Canoe 1987 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 L.A. 1990 MTV 1981 Silver Ocean 1990 Rafael 1992 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clock 1993 A view to Remember 1995 May 1968 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Civil Rights Act 1964 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Berlin Wall 1989 Ross 1983 Julie 1987
BEYELER:
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 CNN 1980 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 Great Society 1964 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Beyeler 2010 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 An Easy Death 1991 May 1968 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clock 1993 A view to remember 1995
MMK:
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Great Society 1964 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Obama 2008 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clock 1993 A view to remember 1995
Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Every Artist is a Human Being!: Positions in Self-Portraiture, Sept. 11–Nov. 21, 2010, extended to Jan. 9, 2011, no cat no.
Red Canoe 1987 Madrid 1971 Mariel Boatlift 1980 An Easy Death 1991 VCR 1978 Supreme Court 1986 Venice 1985 Paris 1985 Watercolors 1964 CDC 1981 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Great Society 1964 Blue Flowers 1984 Silver Ocean 1990 Ross 1983 Civil Rights 1964 MTV 1981 Proposition 8 2008 Berlin Wall 1989 L.A. 1990 New York City 1979 Election Night Grant Park 2008 CNN 1980 Lover Boys 1990 Interferon 1989 Soft Pillow 1990 March on Washington 1987 Sloan-Kettering 1995 Julie 1987 Black Monday 1987 Placebo 1991 Güaimaro 1957
This is the same text used in the Inaugural Installation of the Modern Wing held in 2009 at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Art Institute of Chicago, Inaugural Installation of the Modern Wing, July 21, 2011–Mar. 8, 2015, no cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Madrid 1971 Mariel Boatlift 1980 An Easy Death 1991 VCR 1978 Supreme Court 1986 Venice 1985 Paris 1985 Watercolors 1964 CDC 1981 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Great Society 1964 Blue Flowers 1984 Silver Ocean 1990 Ross 1983 Civil Rights 1964 MTV 1981 Proposition 8 2008 Berlin Wall 1989 L.A. 1990 New York City 1979 Election Night Grant Park 2008 CNN 1980 Lover Boys 1990 Interferon 1989 Soft Pillow 1990 March on Washington 1987 Sloan-Kettering 1995 Julie 1987 Black Monday 1987 Placebo 1991 Güaimaro 1957 Myriam 1990 Bay of Pigs 1961 H-Bomb 1954
Seoul, PLATEAU, Samsung Museum of Art, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Double, June 21–Sept. 28, 2012, no cat. no.
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Social Landscape 1987 Julie 1987 Yellow Envelopes 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Seoul 2012 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 Little Boy 1945 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Before Night Falls 1990-2001 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clock 1993 A view to remember 1995
Margate, Turner Contemporary, Self: Image and Identity¬–self-portraiture from Van Dyck to Louise Bourgeois, Jan. 24–May 10, 2015, no cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Paris 1985 Blue Flowers 1984 Harry the Dog 1983 Blue Lake 1986 Güaimaro 1957 Our own apartment 1976 Gunshot 1983 Rosa 1977 Interferon 1989 Ross 1983 Stock Market Crash 1987 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Civil Rights Act 1964 White Shirt 1984 Soft Pillow 1990 Berlin Wall 1989 Hollywood 1915 Dad 1986 Margate 2015 Sir John Soane’s Museum 1998 Bay of Pigs 1961 Roger 2010 Good Friday Agreement 1999 Myrtle 2013 D-Day 1944 Serpentine 2000 Bluebells 2013 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Lover Boys 1990 12 Bar Club 1994 New War 2001 Placebo 1991 Silver Ocean 1990 A view to remember 1994
Art Institute of Chicago, The New Contemporary, Dec. 13, 2015–on going.
Red Canoe 1987 Madrid 1971 Mariel Boatlift 1980 An Easy Death 1991 VCR 1978 Supreme Court 1986 Great Society 1964 Blue Flowers 1984 Guáirmaro 1957 Venice 1985 MTV 1981 Proposition 8 2008 Berlin Wall 1989 L.A. 1990 New York City 1979 Placebo 1991 Lover Boys 1990 CNN 1980 White Shirt 1984 Black Monday 1987 Ross 1983 Silver Ocean 1990 March on Washington 1987 CDC 1981 Soft Pillow 1990 Julie 1987 A View to remember 1994 Paris 1985 Watercolors 1964 Interferon 1989 Our Own Apartment 1976 Myriam 1990 Civil Rights Act 1964 Rosa 1977 Bay of Pigs 1961
New York, Andrea Rosen Gallery, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, May 3–June 18, 2016, no cat. no.; Milan, Massimo De Carlo, May 21–July 20, 2016; London, Hauser & Wirth, May 27–July 30, 2016 (New York only).
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Guáimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawanaisa Lake 1987 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, 1989: the End of the 20th Century, Jan. 24–May 19, 2019, not in cat.
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Guáimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawanaisa Lake 1987 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 L.A. 1990 Placebo 1991 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Athens, former Public Tobacco Factory, Portals, June 11–Dec. 31, 2021, no cat. no.
Barack Obama 2009 U.N. 1945 Supreme Court 1986 An Easy Death 1991 Watercolors 1964 Ελευθερία 2021 Berlin Wall 1989 D-Day 1944 Bay of Pigs 1961 Black Monday 1987 Soft Pillow 1990 MTV 1981 Civil Rights Act 1964 Genome Project 2001 Death 1996 May 1968 CDC 1981 Great Society 1964 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 Our Own Apartment 1976 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Interferon 1989 San Francisco Weddings 2004 Bruno and Mary 1991 Before Night Falls 1990-2001
Toronto, Museum of Contemporary Art, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Summer, Mar. 10–July 31, 2022, CAT INFO COMING
Red Canoe 1987 White Shirt 1984 Blue Flowers 1984 U.N. 1964 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Hollywood 1915 Soft Pillow 1990 Our Own Apartment 1976 Wawanaisa Lake 1987 Stock market Crash 1987 Resolution 1999 Harry the Dog 1983 CDC 1981 Gunshot 1983 10th Anniversary 2000 #24 2000 Civil Rights Act 1964 Dad 1991 Paris 1985 H-Bomb 1954 Yellow Envelopes 1991 Bruno and Mary 1985 MTV 1981 March on Washington 1987 Silver Ocean 1990 Rafael 1992 Andrea 1990 Clocks 1993 War 2001 A view to remember 1995 Mother 1986 N.Y.C. 1979 Julie 1987 Watercolours 1964 Lover Boys 1990 Güaimaro 1957 Placebo 1991 Ross 1984 Mariel Boatlift 1980
End Notes
Two events have been spelled with differences throughout the history of this work. Wawanaisa Lake (sometimes spelled as Wawannaisa Lake) and Güaimaro (sometimes spelled as Guáimaro.)
Felix Gonzalez-Torres titled a 1991 ‘puzzle’ work as follows: “Untitled” (Wawannaisa).
Wawanaisa Lake is a geographical location in Canada.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres was born in Cuba in 1987. The currently used and widely accepted spelling of the location of his birth is Guáimaro. During his lifetime, Gonzalez-Torres used himself, and allowed the use of, both Guáimaro and Güaimaro.
A shorter version was also proposed for the 1994 exhibition of Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Traveling when it was installed at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C., however this version was not used when it was realized that there would be enough space to accommodate the longer version. The unused shorter version read as follows:
Red Canoe 1987 Paris 1985 President Clinton 1992 Blue Lake 1986 Güaimaro 1957 Ross 1983 Mariel Boatlift 1980 White Shirt 1984 An Easy Death 1991 CNN 1980 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Great Society 1964 U.N. 1945 VCR 1978 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Interferon 1989 Jeff 1978 Madrid 1971 CDC 1981 Placebo 1991 A view to remember 1994
A longer version of the text was proposed for the 2000 exhibition Felix Gonzalez-Torres held at the Serpentine Gallery, London. When this proved to be too long a shortened version was installed. The unused longer version read as follows:
Red Canoe 1987 Watercolors 1964 Paris 1985 Supreme Court 1986 Lymington Road 2000 Dino 1994 Blue Lake 1986 Our Own Apartment 1976 Rosa 1977 Carnegie International 1999 Güaimaro 1957 New York City 1979 Pebbles and Biko 1985 Elian 1999 New York Times 1996 Ross 1983 Civil Rights Act 1964 Mariel Boatlift 1980 Resolution 1999 White Shirt 1984 Julie 1987 An Easy Death 1991 Placebo 1991 CNN 1980 Serpentine 1994 Black Monday 1987 Berlin Wall 1989 Penelope 1999 Great Society 1964 Venice 1985 Wawannaisa Lake 1987 Berlin 1999 U.N. 1945 Mother 1986 Myriam 1990 VCR 1978 On the Edge 1997 Dad 1991 Bay of Pigs 1961 D-Day 1944 Ten Year Anniversary 2000 Interferon 1989 Twenty-fourth Street 1998 Jeff 1978 Silver Ocean 1990 H-Bomb 1954 Pappardelle al Telefono 1994 MoMA “Making Choices” 2000 The World I Knew Is Gone 1991 Bruno and Mary 1991 Madrid 1971 MTV 1981 Rafael 1992 May 1968 Serpentine 2000 Andrea 1990 Twenty-fourth Street 1993 Sloan-Kettering 1995 L.A. 1990 Sprengel Museum 1997 George Nelson Clocks 1993 A view to remember 1995
Santiago de Compostela, Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: A Possible Landscape, Dec. 12, 1995–Mar. 3, 1996.
Wawamaisa Lake 1987 was the event and date painted on the wall, however the work was intended to include the event and date pair of: Wawanaisa Lake 1987
For two exhibitions (2003 AIC, and 2008 MALBA) Sloan-Kettering was misspelled with an additional, erroneous “e”
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