Woman with Sombrero: The Barragán Archives

Recently entered into the Centre Pompidou’s permanent collection are seven central works from Magid’s The Barragán Archives series (2013-2016), including sculpture, installation, photography, and drawing from Woman with Sombrero, currently installed within the galleries of the museum's permanent collection.

“What does it mean for a corporation to own an artist’s legacy?” This question forms the core of Woman with Sombrero, the first chapter of Magid’s ongoing project, The Barragán Archives, which examines the legacy of Mexican architect Luis Barragán (1902–1988). Magid explores references to Barragán’s personal archive through sculpture, photographs, and film.

Refused access to his professional archive owned by Vitra in Switzerland, Magid inserts gestures to make space for that which she does not know and cannot see. Taking the law as raw material, she creates works that push the boundaries, but just avoid, copy infringement.