Francis Alÿs
(Belgium, Mexico 1959– )
New York triptych
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
Francis Alÿs’ work is at once surreal and anchored in everyday experiences of city life. Much of his work occurs in or directly references urban streets and has a peculiar, awkward charm that highlights the strangeness of the ordinary.
Both ‘New York triptych’ and ‘Three men in cravats triptych’ draw upon the vernacular of Mexican sign painting, blurring the boundaries between commercial and fine art practices. Taking up the themes of repetition and authenticity, these works are collaborative, with Alÿs making a small painting that local sign painters then reproduce on a larger scale, each painter inevitably imbuing the image with their own subtle shifts in style and scale.
- Year
- 1995-1996
- Media
- Painting
- Medium
- triptych: oil on canvas, enamel on metal series consisting of one painting by Francis Alÿs and two sign paintings by Enrique Huerta and Emilio Rivera
- Dimensions
- a) 13.5 x 15.8 x 2.0cm
b) 91.0 x 120.0 x 4.0cm
c) 60.0 x 75.0 x 2.0cm
:
a - oil on canvas; 13.5 x 15.8 x 2cm
b - enamel on metal; 91 x 120 x 4cm
c - enamel on metal; 60 x 75 x 2cm - Signature & date
- Signed and dated l.r.verso panel b, black marker "... F. ALŸS - 1995-6 ...". Signed and dated l.l. verso panel c, black marker ".../ F. ALŸS/ 1995...".
- Credit
- John Kaldor Family Collection at the Art Gallery of New South Wales
- Accession number
- L2010.4.a-c
- Copyright
- © Francis Alÿs. Courtesy Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich
