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Lot Essay
Mathias Goeritz, in his quest for anonymity within the artistic creation, produced a series of wooden stretchers covered in gold leaf in the late 60s and 70s. In the surface of some of these works, the artist assembled nails with protruding tips; in others he opted to employ overlapping sheets of tin with open holes, which he then painted gold or left to rust. Goeritz would refer to these works as clouages, due to his working method with nails, and would entitle them collectively as Mensajes (Messages). Each individual work constitutes a reference to a biblical verse, and seen as a series they share a common trait: an exacerbated dramatism.
The highly dramatic quotes that Goeritz extracted from the Book of Job, Proverbs or Jeremiah, helps us understand the spiritual environment that surrounded the artist during these years, a difficult period dominated by despair and disappointment.
Moreover, Goeritz embraced the decorative aspect of this creation within an architectural setting, executing large-scale works that share formal affinities with the clouages. Mensaje, Decoración Mural in golden stainless-steel, is one of the two commissioned murals that Goeritz realized for the Arco Towers in Los Angeles. They constitute a prime example of his exceptional work.
Lily Kassner
Mexico City, 2006
The highly dramatic quotes that Goeritz extracted from the Book of Job, Proverbs or Jeremiah, helps us understand the spiritual environment that surrounded the artist during these years, a difficult period dominated by despair and disappointment.
Moreover, Goeritz embraced the decorative aspect of this creation within an architectural setting, executing large-scale works that share formal affinities with the clouages. Mensaje, Decoración Mural in golden stainless-steel, is one of the two commissioned murals that Goeritz realized for the Arco Towers in Los Angeles. They constitute a prime example of his exceptional work.
Lily Kassner
Mexico City, 2006