Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Preview image of work. graphite, ink, pastel and colored pencil on paper, Untitled 29012

2014.51

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Untitled

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Artist

Juan Downey (Santiago, Chile, 1940 - 1993, New York City, NY)

Title

Untitled

Creation Date

1966

Century

20th century

Dimensions

22 1/4 x 30 1/4 in. (56.52 x 76.84 cm)

Object Type

drawing

Creation Place

South America, Chile

Medium and Support

graphite, ink, pastel and colored pencil on paper

Credit Line

Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Purchase; Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

2014.51

Juan Downey trained as an architect in Santiago and lived in Paris during the early 1960s, before relocating to New York City in 1967, where he became a fixture in video and performance art circles. While living in Paris, Downey began drawing cyborg figures and cell-like structures fused to metal tubes or soaring through space. At this time, the Chilean was involved with a lively community of artists, including Jean Tinguely (1925--1991) and Yves Klein (1928--1962), who were creating performances and mechanical sculptures inspired by space travel and cosmic energies. Downey also acknowledged the influence of Matta’s paintings. This drawing demonstrates Downey’s interest in the intersections of art, science, and technology that predates his technology-driven, time-based work.