Juan Muñoz has a small figure
being watched by the large scuplture.

The show is a lot of fun and a great presentation within
Chicago.  The space works well with the many styles and
forms that  Juan Muñoz used in his art.   Muñoz had a lot of
talent and a lot of humor in much of his work.  There are also
a number of works that lend a pensive feel to his creations, 
though many have smiles and beg the question of the punch line.

Mr. Muñoz and his art are fun and a thrill for the whole family.
Watch your children, many may be the same height as the
three quarter sized people that  Juan Muñoz created.  The show
is found all over the institute and it interacts well with the existing
shows.

WORKS BY CONTEMPORARY SPANISH ARTIST  Juan Muñoz

 The Art Institute of Chicago and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden, Smithsonian Institution, have co-published Juan Muñoz, a book
documenting a retrospective exhibition of the works of Spanish-born artist
Juan Munoz, widely regarded as one of the most important artists to come
out of Spain since the 1980s. The exhibition of the same title is the first
major survey of his work to tour the United States;  it premiered at the
Hirshhorn in the fall of 2001, and will be on view at the Art Institute
from September 12, 2002, through January 5, 2003.

One of a few progressive artists to reinvent the figure and to assert the
viability of narrative in contemporary art,  Juan Muñoz (1953-2001) gained
international recognition for his extraordinary sculptural installations. From
early architectural pieces that suggest a  human presence to more recent
installations that weave complex, enigmatic stories through  the precise
arrangement of figural groupings, Munoz's work investigates ambiguity and
paradox and their psychological implications. Drawing upon a wide range of
sources in literature, music, theater, and film, as well as architecture and
painting, Munoz devoted  himself not only to sculpture but to two
dimensional and sound-based works. He was also a gifted essayist, curator,
and critic.

Oak Park Journal photos

This richly illustrated volume, the most comprehensive study of  Muñoz's art
to date,  features all 59 works in the exhibition, among them sculptures,
drawings, and several major  installations, each illustrated in full color. Essays
 by the exhibition's curators Neal Benezra,  former Deputy Director and Frances
and Thomas Dittmer Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Art
Institute of Chicago (now Director of The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)
 and Olga M. Viso of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and by noted
art critic Michael Brenson, explore numerous facets of Munoz's oeuvre. Paul
Schimmel's interview with Munoz and a compilation of the artist's writings
provide further insight into his artistic vision. Also included are photographs of 
Double Bind, the artist's project completed for Tate Modern, London, in June 2001.

The Juan Muñoz catalogue numbers 224 pages, with 145 illustrations (60
color, 85 duotone). The softcover version sells for $24.95 and the hardcover, 
co-published in association with The University of Chicago Press, sells for $50.00.
Both are currently available at The Museum Shop; for more information, call (312)
443-3533.

Juan Muñoz was organized by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden, Smithsonian Institution, in association with The Art Institute of Chicago. 
Corporate support for the tour was provided by Terra Networks, S.A. with
major assistance from Aaron and Barbara Levine. The exhibition catalogue
was made possible in part by the Sociedad Estatal de Acci6n Cultural
Exterior of Spain and Mr. Borja Coca. Armstrong World Industries, Waterjet 
Works, and Spectra Contract Flooring provided in-kind assistance with the
special flooring installations.

The Chicago presentation is made possible through the generous support of
Philips Medical Systems, The Woman's Board of The Art Institute of Chicago,
and Judith Neisser.

MAIN SHOP IN THE MUSEUM: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.;
Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For information,
call (312) 443-3583.

To reach the Art Institute on the World Wide Web, contact us at
www.artic.edu

THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO IS A MUSEUM IN CHICAGO'S
GRANT PARK.
 

 THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
111 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60603-6110

  Juan Muñoz's  RADIO PLAY A REGISTERED PATENT
RECEIVES UNITED STATES PREMIERE IN CHICAGO

Art Institute Collaborates With Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ (91.5 FM)

Music by Spanish Composer Alberto Iglesias Play Read by Actor
John Malkovich An important component of the Juan Muiioz exhibition
on view until January 5, 2003, in The Art Institute of Chicago's The Daniel F.
and Ada L. Rice

Building and various galleries throughout the museum is a radio
production written by the Spanish contemporary artist. The play, entitled
A Registered Patent, presents the first-time curatorial collaboration between 
Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ (91.5 FM) and the Art Institute, and will be 
broadcast fall/winter 2002.

During his career,  Juan Muñoz (1953 2001) sought opportunities beyond
sculpture and drawing to explore his interest in perception and experience. The
artist collaborated with such composers  as Gavin Bryars and Alberto Iglesias,
and author John Berger, and set radio plays to music (A Man in the Room,
Gambling and Building for Music (1992); Will It Be a Likeness? (1996)). In
2001, he wrote"Optical Illusion-Producing Box (A Drummer Inside a Rotating
Box)," a text based on U.S.-patented instructions for a mechanical device that
produces the optical illusion of an object that alternatively appears and
disappears.

For this year's Documenta exhibition in Kassel, Germany, MuiXoz's text
was set to music by Iglesias, read by film and stage actor John Malkovich, and
broadcast as the radio play A Registered Patent. The play will receive its
American premiere on WBEZ (91.5 FM) at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday,
October 13, 2002; Sunday, November 10, 2002; and Sunday, December
15, 2002.

The Art Institute of Chicago is a museum in Chicago's Grant Park.
Museum Hours: 10:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Mcmday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday;  10:30 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Tuesday; 10:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Saturday, 
Sunday.

Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
 

Regular suggested admission: 

Adults, $10.00; children, students, and seniors, $6.00; members always free.
Visitors may pay what  they wish, but they must pay something.

Ford Free Tuesdays free to all, except for certain special exhibitions which
may require full or extra admission fee. City of Chicago residents with Chicago
Public Library cards can borrow a "Check Us Out" card from any branch
library for free general admission to the nine members of
Museums in the Park, including The Art Institute of Chicago.
 
 

Oak Park Journal photos

Not all the work is 3D
Oak Park Journal photos

A Closer Look at why they are Laughing......
Oak Park Journal photos