Beatriz González

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.

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
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.LOTTE JOHNSON is curator at the Barbican Art Gallery, London. Her previous books include Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art (Prestel, 2024) and Carolee Schneemann: Body Politics (Yale University Press, 2022). She previously worked at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

DIEGO CHOCANO is assistant curator at the Barbican Art Gallery, London. He has held similar positions at Tate Britain and the University of Essex.