Boltanski’s L’Homme qui tousse (1969)

“With his work L’Homme qui tousse (1969), Christian Boltanski (born in 1944, lives and works in Malakoff) turns the viewer into a voyeur, making him witness to a gruesome scene. Produced with limited means, the film presents a modestly dressed man sitting on the floor of a dilapidated room, his body wracked continuously as he coughs up blood that flows over his chest and legs.”

Ana Mendieta, American, b. Cuba, 1948–1985
Untitled from the Silueta series, 1973–77
Silver dye-bleach print
Sheet for parts 1, 6, 9, 10: 15 7/8 × 19 7/8 in. (40.3 × 50.5 cm); sheet for parts 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12: 19 7/8 × 15 7/8 in. (50.5 × 40.3 cm)
Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift from The Howard and Donna Stone Collection, 2002.46.6
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago