Page 29 - Studio International - December 1965

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forestalling similar misjudgements in the future. Athenian does not have the opportunity to study the
What was lacking in the first Athenian Biennale was development of European art as a whole, as does a
precisely a sense of purpose and programme­ citizen of Paris, Amsterdam or London, let alone the
selectivity in theme and an agreed artistic standard. often puzzling negation of tradition in current develop­
It is not enough to attempt to ensure the inclusion ments. Thus the organisers of this first Greek Sculpture
of almost every famous name of the century. The past Biennale may have felt some pressure in bringing to
60 years of art has certainly seen many diverse talents, Athens what is virtually a museum of 20th century
and a few geniuses, as well as many discordant sculpture. But it was a collection reflecting undue
investigations into the role of the artist and art. respect, almost greed, for important names rather than
Merely to jumble together on a hill in Athens the most important pieces of sculpture. It is like a rich collector
distinguished artists of the century, and a barely insisting on a famous name without exerting personal
related group of traditions, styles and experiments, does choice, and without any understanding of the erratic
not make for a cohesive festival of sculpture. development of 20th century art.
The problem must be seen against the context of Certainly in Athens there was no lack of famous
modern Greece. The country does not possess a single artists, although a distinguished name did not always
museum of modern art, and being so poor and distant guarantee work of importance; and there was also
it does not enjoy regular exhibitions of contemporary an oddly chosen group of unimportant names whose
work. Thus there is an inevitable ignorance of modern work made no contribution to any possible theme.
art in Athens and a great hunger for knowledge Given the unique role of Greek sculpture in the
(except of course among a small minority). An European tradition, and the glorious setting in Athens, it
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