Polyvinyl acetate and vinyl-acrylic paint with earth on wood structure, nylon net, corrugated cardboard, mirror, glass, rocks, earth, and fluorescent lamp
Oiticica's Bólides (Fireballs) series, begun around 1963, embodies one of the most distinctive, unique, and inventive notions of sculpture conceived in the Americas in the second half of the twentieth century. The Bólides, structures made of painted wood or glass containing raw pigment, stones, and textiles, make up one category of the artist's late work. He also made Penetrables, small labyrinths of painted wood that can be entered, or penetrated, by the spectator, and Parangolés (Capes), complex and colorful carnivalesque costumes that were meant to be worn or held by the spectator. These three series embody a revolutionary conception of artworks as significant vehicles for the human body and as bodies themselves, filled with living, critical, or troubling materials.
Here Is Every. Four Decades of Contemporary Art, September 10, 2008–March 23, 2009 .
Gallery label from New Perspectives in Latin American Art, 1930–2006: Selections from a Decade of Acquisitions , November 21, 2007–February 25, 2008.
Around 1963 Oiticica began work on his series titled Bólides (Fireballs), one of the most distinctive, unique, and inventive sculptural models made in the Americas during the second half of the twentieth century. These works represent one of the three categories of works produced by the artist at the end of his career: Bólides, Penetrables, and Parangolés. The Bólides are structures made of painted wood or glass containing raw pigment, stones, and textiles. The Penetrables are small labyrinths of painted wood that can be entered, or penetrated, by the spectator. The Parangolés, or "capes," are complex and colorful carnivalesque costumes that were meant to be worn or held by the spectator, therefore eliminating the distance between the work and the public. These three series embody a revolutionary conception of artworks as significant vehicles for the human body and as bodies themselves, filled with living, critical, or troubling materials.
New Perspectives in Latin American Art, 1930–2006: Selections from a Decade of Acquisitions, November 21, 2007–February 25, 2008.
Explore more
Arthur Jafa—Less Is Morbid
1 NorthOriginally from Tupelo, Mississippi, and trained as an architect and cinematographer, he has become well-known for his collages, montages, assemblages, and installations—combining images imbued with what he calls “affective capacity,” or the emotional power of association.
Learn more →
From MoMA Design Store
Installation views
We have identified this work in the following photos from our exhibition history.
Provenance
The artist.
? - 1996, Galeria César Aché, Río de Janeiro .
1996 - 2004, Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, New York, and Caracas , purchased through Galeria César Aché.
2004, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired as gift from Patricia Phelps de Cisneros.
Exhibition history
MoMA Exh. #1931: "Painting and Sculpture: Inaugural Installation", 4th Floor, gallery 23, November 20, 2004 - December 11, 2006
As of August 23, 2005, 4th Floor, gallery 23 has been renumbered as 4th Floor, gallery 24.
Austin, Blanton Museum of Art, "The Geometry of Hope: Latin American Geometrical Abstraction from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection", February 17, 2007 - April 5, 2007
MoMA Exh. #2022: "New Perspectives in Latin American Art, 1930-2006: Selections from a Decade of Acquisitions", 3rd Floor, November 21, 2007 - February 25, 2008
MoMA Exh. #2053: "Here is Every: Four Decades of Contemporary Art", 2nd Floor Contemporary Galleries, September 9, 2008 - March 23, 2009
São Paulo, Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, "The Enclosed Openness: Box and Book in Brazilian Art", October 20, 2012 - January 13, 2013
Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, "La invención concreta. Collección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros", January 22 - September 16, 2013
MoMA Exh. #2351: "From the Collection: 1960-1969", 4th Floor, The Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Painting and Sculpture Galleries, March 26, 2016 - September 13, 2016
Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Art, "Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium", October 1, 2016 - January 2, 2017 and tour:
Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, February 9 - May 7, 2017
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, July 14 - October 1, 2017
Licensing
Artwork or archival images
If you would like to reproduce an image of a work of art in MoMA's collection, or an image of a MoMA publication or archival material (including installation views, checklists, and press releases), please contact Art Resource (publication in North America) or Scala Archives (publication in all other geographic locations).
Audio and film clips
MoMA licenses archival audio and select out of copyright film clips from our film collection. At this time, MoMA produced video cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. All requests to license archival audio or out of copyright film clips should be addressed to Scala Archives at [email protected]. Motion picture film stills cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. For access to motion picture film stills for research purposes, please contact the Film Study Center at [email protected]. For more information about film loans and our Circulating Film and Video Library, please visit Circulating Film and Video Library.
Text from a publication or the archives
If you would like to reproduce text from a MoMA publication, please email [email protected]. If you would like to publish text from MoMA's archival materials, please fill out this permission form and send to [email protected].
Feedback
This record is a work in progress. If you have additional information or spotted an error, please fill out this feedback form.