Spanish
sculptor Juan Muñoz (b. Madrid, 1953-2001), whose sudden death
in August shocked the art world, is here honored with his first full
retrospective in the United States. Included are nearly 60 sculptures,
multi-figure installations, drawings, and paintings spanning Muñoz's
career from the mid-1980s to the present.
Five
Seated Figures, (1996)
The
Wasteland, (1986)
Engaging viewers
physically and emotionally, Muñoz's figures lean secretively
toward one another, form a tight clique on a living-room settee,
peer down at us from a high balcony, or smile as they ride a toy
train. A 550-pound bronze figure, specially created by Muñoz
for the Hirshhorn's architecture, hangs upside-down on a guy-wire
three stories above the circular outdoor fountain, its falling posture
creating a theatrical tension.
