Untitled (Death by Gun)
Poster
1990 (made)
1990 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Multiple copies of this poster by the Cuban-born Felix González-Torres are displayed in a paper stack, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Visitors may take copies of the poster from the stack free of charge. In its form and concept it blurs the lines between installation, sculpture and printmaking. The artist conceived of this piece (and his other similar printed paper stacks) as a kind of sculpture, endlessly depleted and endlessly replenished. (Those who buy his paper stacks are obliged to having the image reprinted so that the stack displayed in the gallery is always a specified optimum height).
The poster lists the names of individuals killed by guns in the United States in one week, in May 1989, with additional details, and in most cases, an image of the victim, all taken from Time magazine. Some have committed suicide, others are victims of violent crime. This simple exercise underlines the issue of gun ownership, particularly pressing in the United States, where private gun ownership is more common than in the United Kingdom and Europe. The drama of these violent deaths is contrasted with the simple, matter-of-fact manner in which they are reported, reducing the dead to a few statistics. This print has been produced as an ‘endless edition’ since 1990; as an unlimited edition artwork, it is constantly evolving as the audience participates in its distribution and its life-cycle.
The poster lists the names of individuals killed by guns in the United States in one week, in May 1989, with additional details, and in most cases, an image of the victim, all taken from Time magazine. Some have committed suicide, others are victims of violent crime. This simple exercise underlines the issue of gun ownership, particularly pressing in the United States, where private gun ownership is more common than in the United Kingdom and Europe. The drama of these violent deaths is contrasted with the simple, matter-of-fact manner in which they are reported, reducing the dead to a few statistics. This print has been produced as an ‘endless edition’ since 1990; as an unlimited edition artwork, it is constantly evolving as the audience participates in its distribution and its life-cycle.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Untitled (Death by Gun) (assigned by artist) |
Materials and techniques | Photolithograph |
Brief description | 'Untitled (Death by Gun)', poster by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, endless edition begun in 1990. |
Physical description | Poster with a white background, with rows of photographs with text underneath each one. |
Dimensions |
|
Copy number | endless edition |
Credit line | Given by Riikka Kuittinen |
Object history | A stack of these posters is on display in the permanent galleries of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Visitors are free to take them. |
Production | The printer varies, but to date (2004) it has been Register Litho, New York, NY, USA. |
Summary | Multiple copies of this poster by the Cuban-born Felix González-Torres are displayed in a paper stack, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Visitors may take copies of the poster from the stack free of charge. In its form and concept it blurs the lines between installation, sculpture and printmaking. The artist conceived of this piece (and his other similar printed paper stacks) as a kind of sculpture, endlessly depleted and endlessly replenished. (Those who buy his paper stacks are obliged to having the image reprinted so that the stack displayed in the gallery is always a specified optimum height). The poster lists the names of individuals killed by guns in the United States in one week, in May 1989, with additional details, and in most cases, an image of the victim, all taken from Time magazine. Some have committed suicide, others are victims of violent crime. This simple exercise underlines the issue of gun ownership, particularly pressing in the United States, where private gun ownership is more common than in the United Kingdom and Europe. The drama of these violent deaths is contrasted with the simple, matter-of-fact manner in which they are reported, reducing the dead to a few statistics. This print has been produced as an ‘endless edition’ since 1990; as an unlimited edition artwork, it is constantly evolving as the audience participates in its distribution and its life-cycle. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.220-2005 |
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Record created | March 31, 2005 |
Record URL |
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