Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7

Axel Getz
No Obits - Framed Abstract Collage Crystal Watercolor Painting in Red, Black

2022

$10,000
£7,567.42
€8,727.61
CA$13,964.31
A$15,644.54
CHF 8,142.97
MX$190,520.50
NOK 103,730.53
SEK 97,684.89
DKK 65,150.49
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

This compelling and historically resonant artwork, "No Obits," immediately confronts the viewer with its stark, repeated declaration, drawn from a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history. The artwork channels the profound emotional and social impact of August 13, 1998, when San Francisco's Bay Area Reporter [BAR] announced, for the first time in 17 years, that no AIDS-related obituaries had been filed for that week's issue. Visually, the piece is dominated by the insistent, collaged headline "No Obits," stacked like a monumental inscription or a recurring echo down the length of the work, cut to the dimensions of a single newspaper panel. This deliberate repetition emphasizes the weight and rarity of that longed-for, yet complex, pronouncement. Behind these stark white-and-red pronouncements, a visceral, painted landscape churns in hues of deep black, somber maroon, and vivid crimson. These organic, almost cellular forms flow and coalesce, suggesting both the biological realities of the AIDS epidemic and the turbulent emotional currents of an era defined by loss and fierce resilience. Amidst this raw, expressive backdrop, a single, symbolic red blood cell, meticulously encrusted with Swarovski crystals, glints with a multifaceted light. It stands as a poignant pinpoint of focus—perhaps signifying a precious individual life, a collective memory, or the fragile, hard-won spark of hope and survival. The use of watercolor, gouache, cut-and-pasted paper, and the unexpected brilliance of Swarovski crystals creates a tactile and emotional depth, highlighting the layers of history and meaning. As the original BAR headline was met with a mixture of joy for some and trepidation for others—a potential turning point or a premature celebration—"No Obits" deliberately maintains a nuanced, ambiguous stance. It does not offer a simple verdict on the past or present of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Instead, the work serves as a profound homage to the relentless, life-saving activism the queer community forged to save themselves when the world often turned a blind eye. It stands as a tribute to a historic headline and aims to imbue a new generation with awareness of this hard-fought piece of journalism. "No Obits" powerfully reminds us that not three decades ago, public health and government officials largely ignored the suffering of a significant portion of their public. The artwork calls on us to never take for granted our current medical securities and to critically examine how systemic neglect continues to affect marginalized communities. It is an urgent call to be ready to fight for the health and dignity of all, recognizing our shared humanity. This piece is not just a reflection on a historic moment but a testament to ongoing struggles and the enduring power of community activism, whose blueprints have saved countless lives both within and beyond the LGBTQ+ community. Signed on Front.
  • Creator:
    Axel Getz (1995, American)
  • Creation Year:
    2022
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 46 in (116.84 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2856216438662

More From This Seller

View All
Carnal - Textured Red and Black Oil Painting on Triangle Canvas
By Axel Getz
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Titled 'Carnal,' this triangular work leverages abstraction to delve into complex and deeply unsettling territory. The artist utilizes a dense, agitated impasto surface that moves fr...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Light and Space: Impasto Abstract Oil Painting in Red, Black, and Violet
By Axel Getz
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This striking circular oil painting is a masterful example of contemporary abstract art utilizing a tactile impasto style. Inspired by the percep...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Palace, South Korean Styled Watercolor in Green, red, yellow, black
By Axel Getz
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Axel Getz's framed artwork, "Palace," is a vibrant and energetic homage to the magnificent Gyeongbokgung in South Korea. The piece masterfully translates the architectural grandeur, ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Icon: Abstract Gold Leaf and Red Impasto Contemporary Painting - Wood Panel
By Axel Getz
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Titled 'Icon', this powerful abstract painting reimagines sacred tradition for a contemporary audience. Executed in mixed media—featuring genuine gold leaf and heavy crimson red oil ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Squid, Watercolor Abstract Painting in Iridescent Multicolor
By Axel Getz
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Axel Getz's captivating artwork, titled "Squid," plunges the viewer into a dynamic and brilliantly imagined underwater realm, reinterpreting the enigmatic cephalopod through his sign...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Kaposi - Textured Oil Red, Deep Orange and Black Triangle Canvas
By Axel Getz
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The oil painting 'Kaposi' operates at the charged intersection of queer history, somatic experience, and institutional critique. Presented on a triangular support—a direct reference ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

You May Also Like

ZT 210307 - contemporary modern red & black abstract geometric painting relief
Located in Doetinchem, NL
ZT 210307 is a unique one-of-a-kind contemporary modern painting relief by Dutch artist Hewrman Coppus. The relief is made from meticulously hand cut, bend and glued cardboard paper ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Cardboard

"Axiomatic Effect" Red and Black Contemporary Abstract Sculptural Painting
By Chris Bexar
Located in Houston, TX
Red and black experimental abstract sculptural painting. The work was intentionally removed from the stretchers to make a wave effect to the surface. The piece is signed, titled, and dated by artist Chris Bexar who is a Houston, Texas artist. The work is not framed. Artist Biography: Chris Bexar is an award-winning Houston artist, working predominantly in digital photography for 26 years. In our digital environment, there is a fractal relationship between tiny structures and enormous structures. Everything looks the same. Blow up the components of a PC, and they look like the Houston skyline...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood

"Maybe Later 2" Abstract Geometric Red Contemporary Mixed Media Modern
By Nancy Berlin
Located in Wellesley, MA
Maybe Later 2, 2015, Mixed Media on Paper, 19 x 16 Inches (Image), 28.5 x 22 Inches (Paper). This painting on paper is unframed. Playful geometric abstraction of swirling linear e...
Category

2010s Abstract Geometric Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mixed Media

16 red/black quadrants RZ - contemporary modern abstract painting relief
By Eef de Graaf
Located in Doetinchem, NL
16 red/black quadrants RZ is a unique one-of-a-kind contemporary modern painting relief by Dutch artist Eef de Graaf. The relief is made from meticulously hand-cut plain black and re...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cardboard

Red and black composition by Gilbert Pauli - Mixed media 83x75 cm
By Gilbert Pauli
Located in Geneva, CH
Four oils on canvas glued on an aluminium plate tinted by acrylique Born in 1944 in the canton of Fribourg, Gilbert Pauli currently lives in Geneva, where he devotes himself to pai...
Category

Early 2000s Conceptual Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Framed Acrylic Abstract Painting of Geometric Shapes in Black, Red, and White
Located in Queens, NY
Mid-century acrylic on canvas abstract painting featuring geometric shapes in black and red against a cream colored background in a rectangular black painted wooden frame.   
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Wood