Julio González
Madame Cactus [Cactus Woman]

Public Domain

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Artist Julio González (Spanish, 1876–1942)Spanish, 1876–1942

CultureSpanish

Titles

Madame Cactus [Cactus Woman]

Date1939–1940

Made inParis, France

MediumBronze, ed. 2/3

Dimensions30 15/16 × 10 3/8 × 7 5/8 in. (78.6 × 26.3 × 19.3 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number73.27

Non exposé

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Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Object Type

SCULPTURE

DescriptionIn the late 1930s, Julio González created
two complementary sculptures, Cactus Man
and Cactus Woman, the second of which is on
display here. The figure seems to be a hybrid—
part human and part plant, sexually suggestive
and dangerously aggressive—reflecting not
only González’s interest in Surrealism but
also the violent mood of Spain in the wake
of a devastating civil war. The original
sculpture was made from iron and steel,
and was only later cast in bronze.
Provenance[Gimpel Fils, London, until March 1973]; purchased by MFAH, 1973.

Exhibition History“Julio González,” The Tate Gallery, London, September 10–October 11, 1970.

"A Century of Modern Sculpture 1882–1982," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, January 14, 1983–January 31, 1984.

“Julio González: A Retrospective,” Guggenheim Museum, New York, March 11–May 8, 1983; The Museo Español de Arte Contemporaneo, Madrid, June 15–August 3, 1983; The Berlin Academie der Kunste, September 11–November 30, 1983.

"Direction and Diversity: Twentieth Century Art in the Museum Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, January 20–25, 1987.

"Twentieth Century Art in the Museum Collection: Direction and Diversity," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 21–September 3, 1988.

"Catalan Masters of the 20th Century," Tacoma Art Museum, January 19–March 30, 1997.

"Art at Midcentury: Spotlight on the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 13–September 3, 2001.

"Barcelona & Modernity: Picasso, Gaudí, Miró, Dalí," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, October 15, 2006–January 7, 2007; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, March 4–June 3, 2007.

"The Abstract Impulse: Selections from the Modern and Contemporary Collections," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 3–May 5, 2013.

"Drawn to Three Dimensions," The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Feb. 4, 2023-July 23, 2023 [Fourth Installation/Light-Sensitive Rotation: Kinder Building 207: No Catalog]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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