Page 17 - Studio International - September 1966
P. 17

Berlin Festival                          West  Germany,  Toche  of  Belgium,  Enrico  Baj  of   Tt,e Kandinsky Trial
                                                    Italy, J. J. Lebel of France, and three members of the
           The  Berlin  Arts  Festival  which runs  this  year  from   newly-founded  lnstitut  fur  Direkt  Kunst,  Vienna­  Before a  court  in  Munich  recently  Nina  Kandinsky,
           September 25 to October 11 is probably best known for   Otto  Muhl,  Gunter  Brus,  and  Kurt  Kren.  Several   widow  and heir  of  the painter, lost all claim  to the
           its  presentation  of films  and musical  Items.  It also   groups of young British artists are also to attend, and   copyright of  sixty-nine paintings by  her husband.
           stages art exhibitions and this year no less than three   a number are preparing 'destructive events'.   This hearing was the latest In a long line of compli­
           have  been  organized,  two  devoted  to  the  German   The final  sessions  will  be open  to the  public,  and   cated  legal  proceedings  between  Mme  Kandlnsky
           baroque and the third to an investigation of fantastic   may be held in a larger hall.   and  Lothar-Gunther Buchheim,  an  author  and  pub­
           art.                                      Concurrently there will be exhibitions of documents   lisher best  known for  his books on German  Expres­
           The exhibition  German Painters and  Graphic Artists   relating to destruction In art, with photographs, bio­  sionist art. If this protracted dispute has no real slgnl•
           of the Seventeenth Century  to the Present Day  is on   graphical material, manifestos, etc.   flcance  for  the  copyright  laws  In  Germany  and
           view at Char!ottenburg castle and throws new light on                             Europe it does at least afford an insight Into the per­
           what  has  been  considered  to  be  an  uninteresting                            sonalities of the major protagonists.
           period In German art. Elsheimer, whose achievement                                 In  1959 Buchheim  published  his  own  book  on the
           is  now  being reassessed by art historians,  is repre­                           Blaue  Reiter  and  the  New  Artists'  Association  of
           sented in the show, as Is Joachim von Sandrart, who                               Munich.  Immediately  Mme  Kandinsky  complained
           Incidentally was  the author  of the  first  book  on  art                        that  Buchheim's  choice  of  Illustrations  did  a  dis•
          history in German.                                                                 service to her husband's work, for the reproductions
           The  second exhibition  Is  of  model  palaces,  archi­                           in no way served the text they were Intended to aug­
          tectural  drawings,  engravings  and  colour  prints                               ment. As legal heir to her late husband's estate, Nina
          which give visitors a comprehensive Idea not only of                               Kandlnsky claimed that she could stop publication of
          the Residenzen  of Germany's  princes  In  the seven­                              the book.
          teenth  and  early  eighteenth  century,  but  also  of                             After going to law she flnally succeeded in prevent­
          Germany's  contribution  to  Baroque  architecture  In                             ing  further  sales,  but  not  until  long  after the  first
          general.                                                                          ,  edition had been out of print.  Buchheim challenged
           Labyrinths,  devoted  to  fantastic  art,·  has  been                             the decision of the first court and appealed to a hlg her
          mo�nted by the newly formed Berlin Kunstverein and                                 body which, In March of this year, reversed the decl•
          is on show at the Akademle der Kunste in the capital's                             slon and gave  Buchheim permission to proceed with
          spectacular Hansavierlle. The 180 paintings, graphics,                             his plans.
          architectural  drawings  and  sculptures  in  the  show                             Nina Kandinsky still refuses to give up. After Buch­
          explore both the literal and metaphorical meaning of                               heim had announced his decision to bring out a new
          the  labyrinth.  Among  those  whose  work  Is  repre­                             and  completely  revised  edition  of  the  Blaue Reiter,
          sented  are  Piranesi,  Klee,  Hundertwasser,  Chirico,                            Mme  Kandlnsky's  lawyer,  Dr  Georg  Bott,  let  it  be
          Magritte, Delvaux and Dall. Britain Is represented by   Roland Topor, an example of whose startling work Is   known that he would appeal against the higher court's
          works by Henry  Moore and Francis Bacon.   reproduced here,  Is  a 28-year--0ld Parisian who  has   decision.  He  also  said  that  his  client  would  begin
                                                    just had an exhibition in Hilversum. Topor's drawings,   proceedings against  Buchheim for libel.  This  move
                                                    which precisely illustrate hangings, variations on the   (In  spite  of  persistent  rumours)  had  nothing  to  do
                                                    female breast, games of football played with human   with the fact that  Buccheim's publishing  house had
          Chagall's gift                            heads and porcupines fenced off in  barbed-wire en­  brought out a collection  of cartoons entitled  The Art
                                                    closures, have a startling Surrealist quality. His hu­  of Burning  Widows;  It had  to do  with  the  fact  that
          Marc Chagall, who Is now  79,  left Russia for  France   mour,  cruel  and  pointed,  Is  often  based  on  the   Bucbhelm, In a note to Dr Ott, accused Nina Kandin•
          in  1922  and  now  regards  France  as  his  homeland:   exaggerated paradox.     sky of 'dark machinations'.
          'France is the country that welcomed me' he Is fond   Topor  regularly  has  stories  and  drawings  in  the
          of saying. He has recently presented most of his out•   French satiric monthly Hara-Kiri  (of which he is  co­
          put over the last twelve years to France-eighty-seven   founder) and Bizarre.      Tate acquisitions
          paintings,  drawings,  engravings  and  sculptures,
          which  have  as  their  theme  the  biblical  message.                             A  splendid  example  of  Braque's  analytical  cubism
          France, delighted with this gift from one of her most   R.A. Winter Show           and the Gallery's first painting.by Nolde-Oas meer B.
          eminent artists, will put the work on permanent dis­                              ·of  1915-17-are  among  recent  Tate  acquisitions.
          play In a museum to be built in Nice. Until this museum   The  Royal  Academy  had planned to  present  a full­  Other  Important  additions  include  Gabo's  Kinetic
          is ready the works are being exhibited at the Louvre.   scale Rembrandt exhibition this Winter. One of the   construction  of  1920,  the  first  motorised  sculpture;
                                                   reasons it allowed Its Michefangelo Tondo to travel to   Le tlmide orgueil/eux of 1956 by Asger Jorn; a group
                                                   Russia was that it had hoped, in exchange, to secure   of sculptures by younger British artists; and, through
                                                   several Important Rembrandtsfrom the Soviet authori­  a gift from  H. S.  Ede,  seventeen works by Gaudier­
          Happenings                               ties around which It could build Its Winter Show.   Brzeska.
                                                    Plans  for  the  Rembrandt  exhibition  fell  through,
          Happenings (dealt with elsewhere in  this  issue) will   however, and there was  a good  deal of speculation
                                                                                                          .
          be prominent  in  the  Destruction  in  Art  Symposium   about whether there could be a Winter Show at all at  Beardsley seized
          which takes place on the three days September 9-11   such a short notice.
          at  the  Africa  Theatre,  King  Street,  W.C.2  (not,  as   Arrangements have now been completed for a retro­  On  August  9  a  squad  of  Scotland  Yard  detectives
          earlier  announced,  at  the  Cochrane  Theatre).  The   spective Millais exhibition which will open on January   seized  260 reproductions  of  drawings  by  Beardsley
          Symposium  will  bring  together  artists,  writers  and   14. Selected  and  catalogued by  Miss  Mary  Bennett,  from a RegentStreetshop window. After some passers
          scientists from various countries to discuss the com­  Keeper of British Art at the Walker Gallery, Liverpool,  by  had  claimed  that  the drawings  were  obscene  a
          plex Inter-relationship of aggression and destruction   the exhibition  will  subsequently  be shown  at  Liver­  warrant under the Obscene Publications Act of  1959
          in art and society.                      pool.                                    was issued from Bow Street Most of the originals of
           DIAS  Intends  to  sponsor  events  and  Happenings   Mlllals, whose last show at Burlington House was In  the  seized  prints  were  on  show  in  the  Beardsley
          organized by any artists who wish to stage them, and   1896, had intimate connections with the Academy. He  exhibition  at the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum. The
          will help by finding sites and assistants. It has, how­  was 11 when he began to study at the R.A. Schools in  reproductions,  priced at 2s. 6d. each, were from the
          ever, made it clear that It cannot take legal responsi­  1840,  and  he died shortly after his  election  to  the  Lyslstrata series, and when they were first displayed
          bility for anything that may occur during the proceed­  Presidency of the R.A. The most famous Infant pro­  crowds gathered outside the shop window. After the
          ings.                                    digy In British art, Mlllais also helped found the Pre­  complaints a detective bought four of the reproduc­
           Among  artists  who  have  already  signified  their   Raphaelite Brotherhood when he was 17. The Winter  tions over the counter. When the warrant was issued
          intention  of  takin_g  part  are  Al  Hansen  and  Ralph   Exhibition should provide a fascinating Insight  Into  the shop was temporarily closed while the offending
          Ortiz  of the  U.S.,  Wolf  Vostell  and  Bazon  Brock  of   the phenomenal early development of this artist.  prints were removed from the window.
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