229 Felixes

By Karina Gabarini
College Student Voices

It all started with Félix. Inspiring much of my personal art practice and research, Félix González-Torres is almost always on my mind. His piece Untitled (Couple) was on view at the RISD Museum as a part of the life-altering exhibition Any distance between us. Félix’s piece took center stage, but the show as a whole has impacted me ever since I first saw it almost two years ago.

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Untitled (Couple) in Any distance between us

Any distance between us sparked my interest in museum work. It was the first experience I’ve had in a museum that drew a visceral emotional reaction up from my stomach. I cried walking through the gallery. It was an important moment for me. I realized the power of curatorial choices and of museums to show work that means something to people and their experiences. I was so enamored by the show, I visited it four times while it was up, dragging friends, family, and even love interests with me. I wrote a paper on it for a class, using any chance I had to talk about it.

This summer I’ve had the opportunity to work within the registration department of the RISD Museum. I’ve gotten to learn how to navigate and search within the two main digital databases, Museum Plus and Picturepark. Both require at least a basic understanding of how the search functions work and how to manipulate the search in order to get closest to what you’re looking for. In other words, you have to know what you want if you want the abyss of information to gift it to you.  

Naturally, the first thing I did when given free reign to search in Museum Plus was to look in the Exhibitions tab for Any distance between us. A neat and tidy list of each piece in the show appeared in what is called an object group. Most pieces had pictures attached to their records. I was so excited to see them all again, linked together in the database.

However, seeing them this way was a bit jarring to me. The line that each piece occupied on the list contained almost all of the information you could desire: title, artist/maker, year created, dimensions, department it belonged to, medium. Its little picture sat on the far left side, peeking out at me. But this list lacked the emotional information that you get when you witness a piece or an exhibition in person. It felt cold and human-less, despite every piece and the show itself having everything to do with humanity, intimacy, and feeling.

I wanted to see if the museum had ever had or loaned any other Félix González-Torres works. By accident, I hit enter before typing the full name into the search bar, landing at just “felix”. To my surprise, there were 229 results. Some of the objects were made by artists who had “Felix” in their name. A very small amount had it in the title. My very own favorite Untitled (Couple) sat towards the bottom of the list. But the vast majority seemed to be connected to the search “felix” by chance. How did they get there?

My favorite objects that came up in the “felix” search

To search in Museum Plus and get accurate or desirable results, you have to be specific. I started to wonder, what would happen if I wasn’t specific? What would the mysterious depths of the data yield? Rather than being specific, simple, and straight to the point, what would happen if I searched for something complex, like human emotion or experience? What would the database give me if I asked it to reflect my human life back at me, in the form of the RISD Museum’s collection?  

Branching off of Any distance between us’s themes, I searched for “intimacy.” 118 found. “intimate.” 211 found. “queer.” 49 found. When I searched “love,” 823 results appeared. The number was so big that I couldn’t export the search results to look at another time. That felt pretty poetic. This first batch of search results yielded a lot of pieces I expected it to. I saw familiar pieces from Any distance between us as well as pieces discussed in the RISD Museum’s publication Manual, which had an issue titled Intimacy. I took all of the charts that I exported from these searches and began to look for their images in our other database, Picturepark. Picking some of my favorites, I created little collections from each search. 

The next round of searches broadened the scope of human emotions/actions I was interested in. “cry,” 543 found, “crying,” 28 found. “want,” 260. “fight,” 216. “anger,” just 17. “miss you,” 274. “happy,” 238. A lot of pieces came up multiple times, in various searches. Patty Chang’s In Love (2001) was potentially the most popular piece. Looking through these searches, I found amazing things, both expected and not. For example, when I searched for “hug” (498 found), a majority of the pieces were made by artists with the first names Hugo or Hugh. Vast amounts of crystal or objects that contained it came up when I searched “cry.” Other results seemed entirely contradictory. A piece titled Lamentation of Christ came up in the search for “happy.” Upon further research, I learned that the reason this piece came up was because of its provenance. In the database, under the provenance section, it explains: “A note in the object file states that this drawing came from the Bondy collection, and that this collection was confiscated by the Nazi government after the annexation of Austria, which took place in March-April 1938… It is unclear at what point the drawings were returned to Mrs. Bondy, but she clearly sold them freely to RISD, and was apparently quite happy about this transaction.” It was a fascinating way to get to know the collection. Does it mean something that there were more search results for “happy” than “anger”? And more results for “cry” than “happy”?

School of Anthonie van Dyck, Lamentation of Christ, 1600s, Walter H. Kimball Fund. RISD Museum, Providence 48.426

I couldn’t help but wonder what the database was “thinking” when I searched for these things. I’m sure there’s some complex and intellectual reason behind each object for every search, but I’m not entirely interested in that. Perhaps it’s up to me (or us!) to take the cold depths of information and see something there. The discovery of the provenance of Lamentation of Christ made me realize that perhaps even if the database doesn’t feel very human, it can only go off of what a human put into it. Whoever wrote this provenance included the word “happy,” and another human (or more!) kept that word and transferred it to its digital home. This summer has taught me that perhaps it shouldn’t be about humanizing the database itself, but humanizing the process and maintenance of it. The human interactions with the database are, in fact, the key and the thread to the mystery.

Below, I’ve paired some of my favorites from each search collection I created. In their human searches and coupling, the database has revealed more than perhaps it was created to be capable of.

"want"

  • Sally Mann, Untitled #27, Antietam, 2001, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2012.109 / Uta Barth, Field #14 , 1996, Museum purchase: gift of The Buddy Taub Foundation, Jill and Dennis Roach, Directors. RISD Museum, Providence. 2002.73
  • Zoe Leonard, I want a president, 1992/2018, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2019.10 / American, Hairpin Box, 1800s, Bequest of John F. Street. RISD Museum, Providence. 40.017.280
  • Ay-O, Mr. Kubo’s Chair, 1978, Gift of Ruth Fine and Larry Day. RISD Museum, Providence. 2017.53.22.3 / Eero Saarinen, designer, Tulip Armchair  (model 150), 1955–1956, Gift of The Athenaeum Bookbinders. RISD Museum, Providence. 1998.32
  • Roy DeCarava, Five Men, 1964, 1964, Jesse H. Metcalf Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 84.222.1 / Francesca Woodman, Untitled (greenhouse) , 1977, Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2002.72.1
  • Edward Weston, Nude, 1936, Museum Works of Art Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 71.117.2 / Forcefield, Blue Shmoo, 2001, Anonymous gift. RISD Museum, Providence 2014.102.1
  • Ree Morton, Untitled (Signs of Love), 1976, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2005.3 / Roman, Architectural fragment, Gift of Evelyn San Souci. RISD Museum, Providence. 52.093

 

"miss you"

  • Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1954, Museum purchase in honor of Daniel Robbins: The Chace Fund, The Collectors' Acquisition Fund, Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund, Mary B. Jackson Fund, Walter H. Kimball Fund, Jesse Metcalf Fund, Museum Gift Fund, and gifts of Mrs. George Harding, Mrs. Lewis Madeira, Mrs. Malcolm Farmer, Mrs. Frank Mauran, George H. Waterman III, Mrs. Murray S. Danforth, Mrs. Russell Field, Mrs. Albert Pilavin, Mr. and Mrs. Bayard Ewing, Mr. and Mrs. Tracy Barnes, Mr. and Mrs. William Boardman, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Neuberger, Mrs. Lee Day Gillespie, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Haffenreffer, and Richard Brown Baker. RISD Museum, Providence. 71.091 /Indonesian, Woman’s jacket, early 1900s, Museum Purchase: Gift of Paula and Leonard Granoff and Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2003.40.10
  • Vincent van Gogh, View of Auvers-sur-Oise, 1890, Given in memory of Miss Dorothy Sturges by a Friend. RISD Museum, Providence. 35.770 / Roman, Fragments from a Funerary Altar, ca. 50 CE, Museum Appropriation Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 26.157
  • Sibil Fowler, Sampler, 1804, Bequest of Miss Sybil Ada Fowler. RISD Museum, Providence. 28.035 / Grenfell Labrador Industries, “Nursery Matt”, Design in production by 1936, Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2022.24
  • Missing Foundation, The Cement Has Been Poured, Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2013.91.3.25 / Italian, Bag, ca. 1910, Gift of Mrs. Raymond H. Trott. RISD Museum, Providence. 57.076.2

 

"intimate"

  • Sage Sohier, Jean and Elaine, Sante Fe, New Mexico, June 1988, 1988, Mary B. Jackson Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2015.87.3 / Julia Jacquette, Four Sweets, 1995, Walter H. Kimball Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2001.34
  • Turkish, Qur’an page, ca. 1335–50, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 83.004 / Ying "Bonny" Cai, Joint Ensemble (tunic and shirt), 2018 thesis collection, Gift of the designer. RISD Museum, Providence. 2018.121
  • Jacob Lawrence, There is an Average of Four Bars to Every Block, 1943, Mary B. Jackson Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 43.565 / Edda Renouf, Indian Lily , 2001, The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States, a joint initiative of the Trustees of the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection and the National Gallery of Art, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. RISD Museum, Providence. 2009.59.32
  • Tony Capellán, Mar Caribe [Caribbean Sea], 1996, Mary B. Jackson Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2005.10 / Robert Barry, Study for Wallpiece, 1983, The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States, a joint initiative of the Trustees of the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection and the National Gallery of Art, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. RISD Museum, Providence. 2009.59.1
  • Lillian Bassman, Untitled, ca. 1950s, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence, ca. 1950s. 2007.48.1 / Roman, Dionysus, ca. 20–50 CE, Museum Appropriation Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 20.039
  • Louis Léopold Boilly, The Ninth Month, ca. 1790, Museum Works of Art Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 70.019 / George Jones, Exmouth, ca. 1812–1814, Anonymous gift. RISD Museum, Providence. 72.171.18
  • French, Court train, first quarter of 1800s, Gift of Mrs. Harold Brown. RISD Museum, Providence. 37.215 / Indian, Women in a Garden on a Moonlit Night, 1744, Museum Appropriation Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 17.470

"queer"

 

"hug"

  • Andy Warhol, Victor Hugo , n.d., Gift of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.. RISD Museum, Providence. 2008.110.109 / Mariah Hughs, Providence, 1970, Museum Membership Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 71.139.13
  • David Martin Heath, Washington Square, New York City, 1960, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2007.6 / Charles Sheeler, Delmonico Building, 1927, Museum Works of Art Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 50.074
  • Hugh Talman, Block Island, 1972, Collectors' Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 72.153.25 / Mary Ellen Mark, Boy with his Pet Cockatoo, Great Golden Circus, Ahmedabad, India, 1989, printed later, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Violin. RISD Museum, Providence. 2021.116.4
  • Michi Itami, Berkeley Hills II, 1996, Gift of the Brandywine Workshop and Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISD Museum, Providence. 2014.66.18 / William Bradford,  Arctic Sunset, 1874, Gift of Mrs. George H. Davenport. RISD Museum, Providence. 18.192
  • Francis Picabia, Aviation, 1922, Gift of Bayard Ewing. RISD Museum, Providence. 1991.102 / Telefonaktiebolaget L.M. Ericsson, manufacturer, Ericofon Telephone, 1954, Gift of Glenn Gissler. RISD Museum, Providence. 2011.28.2
  • Japanese, Katagami (pattern paper), stencil, 1800s, Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke. RISD Museum, Providence. 07.020 / Gorham Manufacturing Company, Knife, ca. 1880, Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund and Walter H. Kimball Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 1989.007.1
  • John Michael Rysbrack, Mother and Child, previously called Virgin and Christ Child, Museum Works of Art Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 55.088 / Portuguese, Tassels, late 1800s–early 1900s, Gift of Mrs. Hugo Linnell. RISD Museum, Providence. 65.012.5A

 

"intimacy"

  • Mary Cassatt, Mother Pulling on Baby’s Stocking, ca. 1890, Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke. RISD Museum, Providence. 21.132 / Keith Vaughan, Study for Figure with Towel, 1957, Gift of Richard Brown Baker. RISD Museum, Providence. 1996.11.52
  • American, Untitled, ca. 1960s, Gift of Peter J. Cohen in honor of Luke Cohen, RISD BFA 1971, BArch 1972, Architecture. RISD Museum, Providence. 2018.61.12 / American,  Untitled, ca. 1970s, Gift of Peter J. Cohen in honor of Luke Cohen, RISD BFA 1971, BArch 1972, Architecture. RISD Museum, Providence. 2015.91.40
  • Deana Lawson, Binky and Tony Forever, 2009, Museum purchase: Gift of Judy and Robert Mann and Walter H. Kimball Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2017.52 / Gertrude Abercrombie, Pink Glove, 1945, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2019.39
  • Greek, Finger ring, 199 BCE–1 BCE, Gift of Ostby & Barton in memory of Englehardt Cornelius Ostby. RISD Museum, Providence. 22.230 / Indian, Vilaval Ragini, 1700s, Anonymous gift. RISD Museum, Providence. 17.476
  • Morlock and Bayer, Double Chair-Back Settee, ca. 1903, Bequest of Mr. Charles L. Pendleton. RISD Museum, Providence. 04.046 /Lisa Limer, Corsican Couple, 1973, Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 77.054.10
  • American, Untitled, ca. 1950s, Gift of Peter J. Cohen in honor of Luke Cohen, RISD BFA 1971, BArch 1972, Architecture. RISD Museum, Providence. 2018.61.113 / American, Peggy, July 22, 1942, Gift of Peter J. Cohen in honor of Luke Cohen, RISD BFA 1971, BArch 1972, Architecture. RISD Museum, Providence. 2015.91.58
  • Cobi Moules, Untitled, 2010, Paula and Leonard Granoff Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2010.113 / Swiss, Work trousers, 1940s, Mary B. Jackson Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2013.17
  • American, Quilt fragment, 1800–1849, Gift of Willard B. Golovin. RISD Museum, Providence. 52.387 / Nan Goldin, Vivienne in the Green Dress, NYC, 1980, Walter H. Kimball Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2003.8
  • Harry Callahan, Eleanor, Chicago, 1949, Museum purchase with the aid of the National Endowment for the Arts and Neuberger Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 74.089 / Lynne Yamamoto, Untitled (text), 1999, Jesse Metcalf Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2000.59.4Q
  • American, Stays, late 1700s, Gift of the children of Mrs. Lemuel Arnold in her memory. RISD Museum, Providence. 10.044 / Sonya Clark, Hair Necklace 4 (Chain), 2012, Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2020.8

 

"happy"

  • Andy Warhol, designer, Happy Flyaway Days, mid 1900s, Gift of Richard Parker. RISD Museum, Providence. 1994.028.3 / Richard Marquis, Teapot, 1980, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Chazan. RISD Museum, Providence. 1987.101
  • Cao Quantang 曹全堂, Bumper Harvest of Wheat at the Mountainous Region, 1978, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Barnet Fain. RISD Museum, Providence. 82.281.2 / Chris Ofili, Untitled, 2015, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence 2015. 2016.40.11
  • Martha Ann Mason, Sampler, 1821, Gift of Caroline A. Mason, Sara J. Mason, and Mrs. Florence N. Gager. RISD Museum, Providence. 31.363 / Daum, manufacturer, Vase, 1905–1910, Museum Works of Art Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 53.078

 

"fight"

 

"crying"

  • Patty Chang, video artist, In Love, 2001, Mary B. Jackson Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2005.81 / James Tissot, The Dance of Death, 1860, Jesse Metcalf Fund, Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund, Mary B. Jackson Fund and Edgar J. Lownes Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 54.172
  • We All Make Mistakes, 1969, Gift of Joseph R. and Nadine F. Thomasson. RISD Museum, Providence. 2011.113.3 / American, Untitled, ca. 1953, Gift of Peter J. Cohen in honor of Luke Cohen, RISD BFA 1971, BArch 1972, Architecture. RISD Museum, Providence 2015.91.84

 

"cry"

  • Henry Horenstein, Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibus), 1999, Anonymous gift in honor of Paula Granoff. RISD Museum, Providence. 2010.93 / Italian, Cup, 1550–1600, Mary B. Jackson Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 32.010
  • Cy Twombly, Untitled, 1968, The Albert Pilavin Memorial Collection of 20th-Century American Art. RISD Museum, Providence. 69.060 / Miss Anea (pseudonym of Anea Tonnegotti), designer, textile, 1940–1970, Gift of Hope Grayson and John Simon. RISD Museum, Providence. 2008.73.210
  • Norman Norell, Inc., manufacturer, Cocktail Dress, ca. 1969, Gift of Loretta and Max Bernegger. RISD Museum, Providence. 1992.036.11 / Japanese, Buddha Mahavairocana (Dainichi Nyorai), ca. 1150–1200, Museum Appropriation Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 36.015
  • Naum Gabo, Construction in Space (The Crystal), ca. 1937, Gift of Mrs. Murray S. Danforth. RISD Museum, Providence. 38.062 / Jack Pierson, Cry, 2009, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2018.37

"anger"

"felix"

  • Thomas Robinson, Spitz Dog, 1873, Gift of Mrs. Isaac Fenno-Gendrot. RISD Museum, Providence. 18.510 / Joyce Pensato, Psycho-Killer Felix, 2005, Gift of Exit Art. RISD Museum, Providence. 2012.133.6.5
  • Félix Bracquemond, designer, Le Verger (The Orchard), 1894, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 66.250 / Donald Baechler, Crowd, 1997, Walter H. Kimball Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 2004.55.1
  • Albert Felix Schmitt, Still Life, late 1800s–early 1900s, Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke. RISD Museum, Providence. 20.654 / Venetian, Footed Bowl, ca. 1500, Mary B. Jackson Fund. RISD Museum, Providence 2000.91.1
  • Willi Eidenbenz, Untitled, 1958, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund and Bargin Sale from Cecil and Mary Schneer Collection. RISD Museum, Providence. 2004.29.2 / Herbert Leupin, Knie Circus , 1957, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund and Bargin Sale from Cecil and Mary Schneer Collection. RISD Museum, Providence. 2004.29.99
  • Félix Edouard Vallotton, designer, Swans , 1892, Museum Works of Art Fund. RISD Museum, Providence. 50.034 /Attributed to Felix Huntington, Side chair, ca. 1780–1810, Gift of Carolyn Darrah Cumming. RISD Museum, Providence. 1999.67

 

Karina Garbarini was a 2023 Mellon Summer Intern in Collection Information and Digital Asset Management. Karina is a senior at RISD studying Film/Animation/Video.