Sebastián

About the Photographer

Bony, Oscar

Argentinian, 1941-2002

Known for making and showing innovative and daring work, in Sebastián (1976), Bony depicts a male nude body, yet the figure is nearly unrecognizable as it is enmeshed in swaths of bold color in seemingly painterly strokes. Only the male genitalia remains in sharp view. Bony’s choice of focal point in this image speaks to his larger interest in confronting status quo views on gender, sexuality, and politics. As part of the Pictures Generation of artists, such as James Welling, John Baldessari, and Cindy Sherman, Bony asks us to look at images carefully, to consider their construction, and to question our preferences for beauty and the purpose of our gaze.