Untitled (Klaus Barbie as a Family Man)
Félix González-Torres
Gonzaleztorresklaus
Félix González-Torres . Untitled (Klaus Barbie as a Family Man), 1988. La Colección Jumex

Through the use of everyday objects as works of art, Felix González-Torres questions the concepts of authorship and private property within art.

In this case, Gonzalez-Torres uses the photograph of a Nazi official named Klaus Barbie posing next to his family. What happens with the image once we learn who is the person portrayed in it?

We propose the following activity:

You will need:
  • An old family photo
  • Paper
  • Pencils, pens, markers, or crayons
  • 2 or more participants
STEPS:
Step One
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Write a brief story about the people portrayed on the photo you selected. The story can be real or made-up.
Step Two
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Share the story with others and ask them to name a title for it.
Step Three
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Consider the different names the photo has now.

What happens with this image now it has several names? Is there one that fits more than the others? What would happen if you showed the same photo, and just mentioned one of the titles? And if you were to ask someone to make up a new story, and you were the one to title the image?

We would love to see the different titles for your artwork! Share them with us by tagging @museojumex on Instagram or Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo on Facebook.