B30 Box Bólide 17 – variation of Box Bólide 1 (poem box)

1965–1966

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

In 1971, Oiticica proclaimed his desire to develop a "non-contemplative" relationship between art and spectator. In order to do so, he dispensed with creating independent objects in favor of what he called "situations to be lived," all of them "not yet completed." Oiticica’s Bólides (Portuguese for "fireballs") set the stage for precisely this shift in his work. The Bólides consist of boxes into which the artist inserted materials of varying colors and textures. Originally, viewers were invited to touch and manipulate the contents, heightening their sensory appreciation of the work.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: B30 Box Bólide 17 – variation of Box Bólide 1 (poem box)
Artist: Hélio Oiticica (Brazilian, Rio de Janeiro 1937–1980 Rio de Janeiro)
Date: 1965–1966
Medium: Oil with polyvinyl acetate emulsion on wood, polyvinyl chloride plastic sheeting, pigment, paper, glass, steel-wire mesh
Dimensions: 12 5/8 × 9 1/16 × 8 7/16 in. (32 × 23 × 21.5 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Private Collection, London
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art