Never before exhibited in Nevada, “Untitled” (L.A.) is one of the artist’s famous “candy-spill” artworks. Here, Gonzalez-Torres finds beauty in the everyday by transforming green, cellophane-wrapped candies into an arrangement of color, form, and texture. Viewers are encouraged to take and eat the candy, creating a moment of engagement that is sensory and personal.
Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996) was an openly gay artist at a time when LGBTQIA+ identities weren’t always publicly acknowledged. The intimate nature and fluctuating structure of his candy works is often interpreted as being related to tragedy in his private life. “Untitled” (L.A.) was created in 1991, the same year that his beloved partner Ross Laycock lost his life due to an AIDS-related illness.
The gradual depletion and replenishment of the candy-spills has been seen as metaphoric, seeming to represent the deterioration of a human body ravaged by illness. At the same time, it can be viewed as a type of immortality generated through ritual remembrance and continual recreation. However, Gonzalez-Torres avoided assigning explicit interpretations to his candy works, preferring them to remain available for everyone to experience in a personal way.
“Untitled” (L.A.) will remain at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art from September 2021 to September 2023. Through January 22, 2022 it will be on view in the group exhibition I Am Here. The artwork has previously appeared at institutions in Europe and the United States, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Dallas Museum of Art in Texas, Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst in Berlin, Germany, and the Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea in Galicia, Spain.
About Art Bridges
Art Bridges is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton and is dedicated to expanding access to American art in all regions across the United States. Since 2017, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of nearly 150 museums of all sizes and locations to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, collection loans from Art Bridges and other museums, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection features American masterworks of historic American art to the present day and encompasses painting, sculpture, photography, among other mediums. For more information on who we reach and how to partner with us, visit www.ArtBridgesFoundation.org and follow us @ArtBridgesFoundation.
Visit Us
The Barrick Museum of Art is open to the public Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Find Us
The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art is located in the heart of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus. The museum is easily accessed from the west side of campus at the intersection of Harmon Avenue and University Center Drive. Drive east on East Harmon Ave until the road enters the campus and terminates in a parking lot. The Museum will be on your right, next to a desert landscape garden. Directions here.
Parking
Visitors may park in metered, staff, and student spots free of charge after 7 pm on weekdays, 1 pm on Fridays, and all day Saturday. Daily, weekly, or monthly permits can be purchased from Parking and Transportation Services. Metered parking spaces for visitors can be found in the parking lot outside the Barrick’s entrance, along East Harmon Ave, and in the lot behind the Lied Library. Other metered green zones are available in the Cottage Grove Avenue Parking Garage and parking areas throughout campus.
