“Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return” Exhibition

“Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Final Revenge (A Workbook)”

By Josh T Franco, head of collecting, Archives of American Art, and Charlotte Ickes, curator of time-based media arts and special projects, National Portrait Gallery

The first book to be published for the exhibition, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return focuses on a single artwork: “Untitled” (1989), the artist’s first word portrait. Josh T Franco and Charlotte Ickes offer insights into the curatorial process of creating two new versions of the artist’s transformative work for the National Portrait Gallery and the Archives of American Art’s Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery. The dual-language book (English and Spanish) contains an interactive section inspired by “Untitled” and a map of the sites in downtown Washington, D.C., where Gonzalez-Torres’ work will be on display. Copies will be available for free in the museum’s bookstore, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library of the District of Columbia Public Library, Tan Dinh restaurant in Paris, the Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami Libraries, Visual AIDS in New York City and elsewhere. This publication received federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the National Museum of the American Latino.

“Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return”

Edited by Josh T Franco, head of collecting, Archives of American Art, and Charlotte Ickes, curator of time-based media arts and special projects, National Portrait Gallery

A comprehensive catalog will be released in early 2025 after the exhibition’s opening to allow time for the contributors to reflect on the site-specific context and installation of “Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return.” In addition to a visual essay illuminating the research process behind the exhibition by the co-curators, Josh T Franco and Charlotte Ickes, this second publication will include contributions by noteworthy scholars and artists. The book will be lavishly illustrated with photography of the multisite installation, archival material and other creative content. The publication will be distributed worldwide.

About the National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery tells the multifaceted story of the United States through the individuals who have shaped American culture. Spanning the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the nation’s story.        

The National Portrait Gallery is located at Eighth and G streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-1000. Connect with the museum at npg.si.edu and on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

About the Archives of American Art

The Archives of American Art is the world’s preeminent research center dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing access to primary sources that document the history of the visual arts in America.

The Archives of American Art is located at the Victor Building, 750 Ninth St. N.W., Washington, D.C. Connect with the archives at aaa.si.edu and on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-7940.

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