Giovanni Battista Foggini x Christopher Wool

“In Laocoon, Giovanni Battista Foggini portrays the heated and intense moment where a Laocoon priest from Troy – along with his two sons – Antiphantes and Thymbraeus are attacked by sea serpents sent by a god. Although Laocoon is much larger in scale than his two sons, the anguish on his face symbolizes the power of these serpents who will fight to the end. Interestingly, Christopher Wool’s Untitled sculpture from 2013 on the Foundation’s terrace carries elements from these tangled serpents although in an overall much lighter sense, while literally commanding a much larger size. The serpents are overlapping in every which way but they could also be seen as found barbed wire fence. While both the Foggini and Wool sculpture are beautiful, the Foggini carries an angst whereas the Wool does not.”

– Astrid Hill