Beatriz González : art says things that history cannot = el arte cuenta lo que la historia no pude contar / edited by Lotte Johnson with Diego Chocano.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

González, Beatriz, 1932- artist.

Johnson, Lotte, editor, contributor.

Chocano, Diego, editor, contributor.

Jhaveri, Shanay, writer of foreword.

Øvstebø, Solveig, writer of foreword.

Diego, Estrella de, contributor.

González, Julieta, contributor.

Pica, Amalia, 1978- contributor.

Barbican Art Gallery, host institution.

Astrup Fearnley museet for moderne kunst, host institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

González, Beatriz, 1932---Exhibitions.

González, Beatriz.

González, Beatriz, 1932---Biographies.

Women painters--Biographies.

Women painters.

Painting, Colombian.

Artists--Columbia--History.

Artists.

Genre:

exhibition catalogs.

Biographies.

Physical Description:

303 pages : illustrations (chiefly colour), facsimiles, portraits ; 27 cm

Other Title:

Art says things that history cannot

Arte cuenta lo que la historia no puede contar

Place of Publication:

Munich, Germany ; London, United Kingdom ; New York, New York : Prestel, 2026.

Summary:

This landmark monograph traces six decades of Colombian artist Beatriz González's bold and radical reimagining of images, power, and memory through expressive satirical painting, sculptural assemblage, and large-scale public interventions.--from Amazon.

Coinciding with her largest European retrospective to date, this striking exhibition catalog presents more than 100 works and 300 images, capturing a body of work that is urgent, unflinching, and deeply original. González dismantles visual hierarchies by reworking images from newspapers, Western art history, and religious iconography into a bold, graphic language all her own. Her iconic early series of paintings The Sisga Suicides (1965) reinterprets a newspaper photograph of tragedy through vibrant stylization, while later pieces—such as Kennedy (John Fitzgerald... (1971) and Interior Decoration (1981)—transform furniture, wallpaper, and public space into sites of political memory. Across each phase of her career, González addresses recurring violence in Colombia, the legacies of colonialism, and the displacement of Indigenous communities with a blend of satire, tenderness, and defiance. Richly illustrated and rigorously researched, this book situates González’s work within the history of Colombia while revealing how profoundly her practice resonates across global contexts. Reflections from contemporary artists punctuate the chapters, underscoring her influence across generations. Essential for scholars, curators, and readers interested in the transformative potential of art in public life, this volume offers a vital introduction to González’s singular vision—and to what images can reveal, provoke, and resist. -- adapted from Amazon

Contents:

Foreword = Prefacio / Shanay Jhaveri and Solveig Øvstebø

Art says things that history cannot = El arte cuenta lo que la historia no puede contar / Lotte Johnson

The artist as historian, the historian as artist = La artista como historiadora, la historiadora como artista / Estrella de Diego

You have taught us how to see = Usted nos ha enseñado a ver / Letters from Luis Caballero to Beatriz González

The joy of underdevelopment = La alegría del subdesarrollo / Julieta González ; Provincianas Provincianas / Amalia Pica

Against oblivion = En contra del olvido / Cecilia Fajardo-Hill

A few tropes and tropicalisms in Beatriz González's work = Algunos tropos y tropicalismos en la obra de Beatriz González / José Alejandro Restrepo

There is no history without mourning. There is no mourning without history = No hay historia sin duelo. No hay duelo sin historia / Miguel A. López

Chronology = Chronología Natalia Gutiérrez

Notes:

First published in 2026 by Prestel Verlag in association with Barbacan Art Gallery and Astrup Fearney Museet on the occasion of the exhibition "Beatriz González": Barbacan Art Gallery February 25 - May 10. 2026 and at Astrup Fearnley Museet June 12 - October 11, 2026

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9783791394022

3791394029

OCLC:

1591248761