Page 70 - Studio International - April 1968

Illustrated are here four of
the artists associated with
Denise René's Gallery

Far left Claisse

Left Martha Boto

be found in a dozen countries from medieval Spain to ultra-modern bounds until he became the internationally acclaimed artist that he
America, from Paris to Milan. Back in the twenties the Surrealists' is today. In 1960, I took a travelling exhibition of 150 artists' works
tom-toms drowned out the names of the great Constructivists. The to New York entitled 'Abstract Constructivism from Malevich until
same was suddenly happening to us. We were eclipsed and almost in Tomorrow' which was seen throughout the USA. As a result, several
poverty. Some painters, like Poliakoff, thought they would be better well-known critics were obliged to revise their theories. To some
off without us and left the gallery. Costs rose and I foresaw the day extent, this exhibition, by changing the climate of public opinion and
when I would have to shut up shop. In 1950 I couldn't get even making it more favourable to our ideas, prepared the ground for the
30 dollars for a Herbin gouache. Today they are worth 3,000 dollars. explosion of optical art at William Seistz's 'Responsive Eye' five years
What a temptation to artists to follow the fashion ! Within a few later.
months I saw a good part of the Italian school swing over to Tachism. In 1966 immediately after Julio Le Parc's success at the Venice
And they sold their paintings. Fortunately my artists had other Biennale had been working with me since 1962—I opened on the
priorities than the accumulation of dollars. We were like a political Left Bank the first gallery entirely devoted to Multiple art. I have
minority in exile, the Fidel Castros of Constructivism looking for a registered the name 'Multiple', and I am the only one in Europe
landing place. Someone suggested a mock exhibition of machine- entitled to use it. I learnt a lot from this gallery, which is strategically
made tachist canvases as a demonstration of the public herd instinct. situated right in the middle of the Boulevard St Germain. The
But what for? This hell lasted five years. Ultimately it worked in our visitors were young, enthusiastic and hungry for new ideas. They
favour. It cleared the field. All the pseudo-constructivists had gone were tired of the atmosphere of morbid romanticism surrounding
over to Tachism where, in general, they sank without trace. Tachism and Pop Art. This was a great surprise to me as I had always
From 1958 on, Tachism was no problem. Art-lovers were bored with considered the French public as lethargic or indifferent. I noted a
their incessant splodgings. They wanted something more lasting and new approach to day-to-day living. Fashion designers like Courrèges
they turned to us. The Tachist swansong was the 1960 Documenta and Ungaro adopted our notions. The youthful and fresh won hands
exhibition. Surrounded by miles of Tachism, the Constructivists were down despite the firmly entrenched traditionalists. It is this public—
relegated to a corridor. The expressions on the faces of the public the students on the one hand and the designers on the other—that we
going from room to room, stunned and incapable of distinguishing have to involve. It is the most alert and the most available, and it is
one painting from the next, were something to see. Drunk on so via them, and by utilizing new methods of distribution of works of
much disorganized matter, they were suddenly confronted with our art, that the essential renaissance of the art world will come about.
spheres, straight lines and cubes. In 1967 I opened a gallery at Krefeld near Düsseldorf in Western
Meanwhile our gallery was going over more and more to kinetic Germany. I went into this venture in association with Hans Mayer,
art. My 1955 'Movement' exhibition with Calder, Duchamp, Agam, a young German from the school at Ulm who has managed the Op
Soto, Vasarely, Tinguely, Bury and Jacobsen was a terrific success. Art Gallery at Esslingen since 1965 where he has put on very success-
Le manifeste jaune, published on this occasion, sold 30,000 copies in ful exhibitions by such artists as Bill, Le Parc, Alviani, Yvaral,
various editions. Many people saw the potentialities of kinetic art as Sobrino and Mack. In the face of such German enthusiasm and the
a successful synthesis of time and space. Others recognized that the fantastic openings (people travelled sixty miles through the snow to
future of modern art could not be limited to Tachism. We proved that be present) as well as the financial success of this enterprise, I could
fascinating experiments were possible outside its orbit. In fact, from only support the idea of setting up an important art centre in the
that moment, a number of young artists came over to us. There was Ruhr, West Germany's busiest region. It is a rich area where the
the Groupe de recherche d'art visuel with Le Parc, Morellet, Stein, economic situation favours cultural expansion. New museums and
Sobrino, Garcia-Rossi and Yvaral. Then Schöffer came to us in opera houses are being opened all the time. The existence of Paul
1958. There were Tomasello and Demarco as well. Arp, who sold Wember's Haus Lange, designed by Mies van der Rohe at Krefeld and
very little prior to 1954, was awarded the Venice Biennale Grand considered West Germany's most advanced museum (it has had ex-
Prix that year and at last was recognized as one of the two or three hibitions of the works of such artists as Klein, Tinguely and Soto),
great sculptors of his generation. Gradually a nucleus of faithful and the proximity of Holland with its outstanding museums, Eind-
supporters formed around my artists, particularly abroad. Between hoven, the Stedelijk and the Kröller-Müller, were additional reasons.
1955 and 1957 I put on individual exhibitions of Soto, Agam, and People told me that it was a mistake to go to Krefeld. A big city like
Tinguely. At the same time, Vasarely's reputation grew by leaps and Cologne or Düsseldorf would be better than a provincial town of
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