Publisher: Agustín Fernández Foundation
Dimensions: 8.5 x 10 in
A Metaphysics of Eroticism is the second in a series of thematic catalogues published by the Agustín Fernández Foundation as part of its ongoing effort to develop scholarship about the artist and to formally document the large body of Fernández’s oeuvre.
The catalogue’s central essay is by Donald Kuspit, who first wrote about Fernández in the 2012 monograph, The Metamorphosis of Experience. In this new piece, Kuspit turns his attention to Fernández’s drawings. We are deeply grateful to Donald Kuspit for providing us with his astute reflections about Fernández’s work on paper - which to date only a few scholars have focused on exclusively - perhaps because, as Kuspit points out, Fernández’s drawings appear “deceptively simple,” but in reality present “a veritable cornucopia of creative possibilities.” Through his careful exploration of a selection of iconic drawings by Fernández, Kuspit helps uncover some of these possibilities, opening new directions for grappling with the work of an artist who has been called highly enigmatic.
This catalogue also includes a short piece written by gallerist Mitchell Algus, in which he shares recollections of certain conversations and interactions he had with Fernández. Mitchell Algus’ very personal contribution was written for readers who might be curious about who Fernández was as a person. It was solicited as part of an initiative to preserve Fernández’s living history by collecting testimonials from those who knew him. We encourage anyone who wants to share such testimonials to contact the Foundation.
In line with our desire to shed a more personal light on Fernández, we have also included in this catalogue some short excerpts from his unpublished memoirs. The extracts that we have selected struck us as somehow in line with Kuspit’s essay, not so much as a clear echo but as an indication of more elusive consonances.
