Felix Gonzalez-Torres: The Spaces Between

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.

The first museum survey of Gonzalez-Torres’s work in New York City in 30 years, The Spaces Between features over 40 of his iconic artworks displayed throughout The Met, in collaboration with 14 departments—from Ancient American Art to Arms and Armor to Egyptian Art. Visitors can chart their own path between the installations, some of which will inhabit intimate spaces, like an 18th-century British dining room, and others monumental spaces, like the American Wing’s skylit Charles Engelhard Court. A presentation that underscores the importance of circulation, context, and display within both the artist’s work and the Museum’s, The Spaces Between also highlights the artist’s exploration of transience and permanence, which became central to his work at a moment of mourning and memory. Gonzalez-Torres died from AIDS-related complications at the age of 38.