Felix Gonzalez-Torres Candy Art: Love and Loss

The sweet sadness of Félix González-Torres's candy piles

Chapter 1

A monument made of candy

Chapter 2

Breaking the museum rules

Chapter 3

Science and public opinion

Chapter 4

The art of letting go

YOUR GOAL

Master of The sweet sadness of Félix González-Torres's candy piles

Ch 1 · A monument made of candy

choko Untitled Portrait of Ross

Take a sweet piece, we fill it right back, love never fades.

choko Sweet Taste of Communion

Take a sweet piece, take a sweet piece. We share the weight of his love.

We preserve what we lose by letting others carry a piece of it.

choko Felix González-Torres made art about love during the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The weight of a healthy body

choko As visitors take candy, the diminishing pile represents Ross Laycock's physical decline from AIDS-related complications in 1991.

The fading of a physical form

choko Visitors taking candy pieces directly reduce the sculpture's weight, representing a fading body.

Sweet Little Memories

BETA

choko Take candy from the shrinking pile to discover how art honors a personal loss.

Fun Fact

Candy weight: The candy pile in "Portrait of Ross in L.A." weighs exactly 175 pounds, which is roughly equivalent to 15,000 individual pieces of candy!

Glossary

monument (noun)
A statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a notable person or event. In 1991, Félix González-Torres redefined this concept by honoring his partner Ross Laycock with spilled candy.

Quiz

In which major US city did Ross Laycock pass away, inspiring the parenthetical subtitle of the 1991 portrait?

choko Felix Gonzalez-Torres designed candy sculptures that represent the fading human body.

Quiz

What does the initial 175-pound weight of the candy pile in Félix González-Torres's famous 1991 artwork directly represent?

choko Artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres created a candy portrait of his partner.

Quiz

What physical process of the human body during a severe illness does the shrinking candy pile symbolize?

choko Candy art creates a sweet communion to remember Ross Laycock.

Quiz

How does the physical form of "Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) change over time when exhibited?

Quiz

In which decade did the HIV/AIDS epidemic first emerge as a major global public health crisis?

Quiz

How did Félix González-Torres's approach to representing the AIDS crisis differ from many activist artists of his time?

Quiz

What sensory experience does the artist use to help visitors internalize the memory of his partner?

Quiz

What religious ritual is echoed when visitors consume a piece of the candy from the artwork?