Generously loaned from Art Bridges and Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, this work is installed in the museum’s Great Hall, where its sparkling texture and unexpected material juxtaposes the neoclassical architecture of the space.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres works with familiar materials like clocks, candy, paper, and lightbulbs, which evoke a personal response from viewers, while also referencing Minimalism, with pared-down forms and nods to industrial materials--the sheen on the cellophane candy wrappers, for instance. Although the titles and medium lists are very specific, the installation parameters allow for change and fluctuations in accordance with the host venue’s choices and participant’s decisions. This work suggests a life cycle: the candy on view may be picked up, unwrapped, tasted, and consumed by museum visitors. The pile can gradually grow smaller if viewers choose to take from the work, and the museum can choose how often, and to what extent, to replenish the candy.
Many of Gonzalez-Torres’s candy works include an ideal or original weight in the caption and while there are multiple possible meanings for each, some can be interpreted as body weights. “Untitled” (L.A.) was made the same year that the artist’s much-loved partner Ross Laycock (1959-1991) died of AIDS-related illness. Gonzalez-Torres does not dictate meaning; viewers are invited to reflect on any number of sensations and memories if they choose to take a piece of candy from the sculpture, an act that is rarely encouraged in a museum setting.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, American, b. Cuba, 1957-1996, “Untitled” (L.A.), 1991, Green candies in clear wrappers, endless supply, Overall dimensions vary with installation, Original dimensions: approximately 192 x 14 x 1 1/2 inches, Original weight: 50 lbs, Jointly owned by Art Bridges and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art AB.2018.20.