Francis Alÿs and the museum presence of Juegos de niñxs
Published on 08/19/2026 at 16:44 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Francis Alÿs has built a distinctive practice around poetic, often fragile actions in public space. His touring exhibition Juegos de niñxs, 1999-2025 currently anchors his museum presence, as Galerie Peter Kilchmann outlines in its overview of the artist.Galerie Peter Kilchmann artist page
Museums and the children’s games
According to the gallery’s profile, Francis Alÿs: Juegos de niñxs, 1999-2025 is a touring exhibition at the Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia (MAMU) in Bogotá, focusing on children’s games filmed and painted between 1999 and 2025.Galerie Peter Kilchmann artist page
The same source notes that this MAMU presentation is part of a wider institutional arc that has included Children’s Games at MUAC in Mexico City and at Museo de Arte de Zapopan, as well as Kids Take Over at Museum Ludwig in Cologne, all centering on video works of play and related paintings.
Collection depth across continents
Galerie Peter Kilchmann emphasizes that Alÿs’s works sit in major collections: Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York among others.Galerie Peter Kilchmann artist page
This geographic spread, from Kanazawa and Sydney to Houston and Warsaw, underlines how his blend of performance, video, painting and drawing has become a reference point in discussions of urban space, borders and everyday gestures within contemporary collections.
All news and background on Francis Alÿs
For additional reporting on Francis Alÿs, his museum exhibitions and collection presence, the AD HOC NEWS archive offers further articles and updates.
The work core and key series
Alÿs trained as an architect before moving from Belgium to Mexico in 1986, entering visual art around 1990 with actions such as pushing a block of ice through Mexico City in Paradox of Praxis 1 (Sometimes Making Something Leads to Nothing).
His practice spans painting, drawing, video and photography, often beginning with a simple action that becomes a narrative thread across media, from border-walking pieces like Don’t Cross the Bridge Before You Get to the River to the long-running Children’s Games series.
Where the artist stands now
Overall, Francis Alÿs’s position is marked by the continued circulation of projects such as Juegos de niñxs, 1999-2025 through major museums, alongside a deep presence in leading public collections across Europe, the Americas and Asia.
Key facts on Francis Alÿs
- Artist: Francis Alÿs
- Medium / Genre: Conceptual installation, video, painting
- Born: 1959, Antwerp, Belgium
- Place(s) of practice: Studio in Mexico City
- Active since: 1990 as visual artist
- Key work groups: Children’s Games, Paradox of Praxis, When Faith Moves Mountains, Don’t Cross the Bridge Before You Get to the River
- Current/last exhibition: Francis Alÿs: Juegos de niñxs, 1999-2025, Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia (MAMU), Bogotá
- Major collections: Tate (London), Museum of Modern Art (New York), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York)
- Awards: Wolfgang Hahn Prize, 2023
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Francis Alÿs
Where is Francis Alÿs’s work with children’s games on view?
The touring exhibition Francis Alÿs: Juegos de niñxs, 1999-2025 is presented at Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia (MAMU) in Bogotá, as documented by Galerie Peter Kilchmann’s artist overview.
Which major museums hold works by Francis Alÿs?
His works are part of collections at Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, among other institutions.
What are Francis Alÿs’s most recognized work groups?
Key series include Children’s Games, the action-based Paradox of Praxis, the collective sand-dune project When Faith Moves Mountains, and border-focused works such as Don’t Cross the Bridge Before You Get to the River.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
