Page 51 - Studio International - April 1969

been trying to form a similar closed situation. first show in New York in December 1964. Greenberg made a garbled attempt to give
I've expected a lot of stupid things to reoccur Di Suvero first showed his somewhat similar the invention of 'Minimal Art', though it was
—movements, labels—but I didn't think there but far better sculpture in October 1960; by not worth inventing, to Ann Truitt.
would be another attempt to impose a uni- 1964 di Suvero had a tiresome number of
'But if any one artist started or anticipated Minimal
versal style. It's naive and it's directly opposed followers and Caro's work looked like that of
Art, it was she, in the fence-like and then box-like
to the nature of contemporary art, including just another of them. 'Anthony Caro is a objects of wood or aluminium she began making,
that of the artists they support. Their opinions major artist—the best sculptor to come up the former in 1961 and the latter in 1962.
are the same as those of the critics and fol- since David Smith' — C.G. That's only mis- 'Truitt's first New York show, at the Andre Em-
lowers of the late fifties : there is only one way judgement though. I expect that; I don't merich Gallery in February 1963, met incompre-
hension (from, among others, Donald Judd, today
of working— one kind of form, one medium; expect the little league fascism.
a Minimalist leader, who reviewed the show for
everything else is irrelevant and trivial; Barbara Reise's article on Greenberg) was Arts).
history is on our side; preserve the true art; good serious opposition. It's surprising that it 'Had they been monochrome, the "objects" in
preserve the true criticism. This means that wasn't done until now. Greenberg's and Truitt's 1963 show would have qualified as first
Grace Hartigan and Michael Goldberg were Michael Fried's articles and the absence of examples of orthodox Minimal Art.'
better than Reinhardt and Rauschenberg opposition make one of the numerous instances
The last sentence is in the category of 'if the
and that Jack Bush and Edward Avedisian of the incompetence of art criticism. Barbara
queen had balls, she would be king'. An
are better than Oldenburg and Flavin. Both Rose did rise up in a recent article in Art-
opening sentence is :
groups, by these attitudes, slowly destroy the forum,2 but she concedes Greenberg a separate
work they're protecting. The followers of the history as against that of everyone else. I'm `It is hardly two years since Minimal Art first
abstract expressionists and some of the leaders harder on Greenberg than Barbara Reise is appeared as a coherent movement, and it is already
more the rage among artists than Pop or Op ever
went backwards toward representational and don't take him so seriously. By now he's
was.'
painterliness. The Greenbergers, except No- ignorant and hysterical. One instance is a
land, steadily become either atmospheric or laughable article in Vogue last May, osten- That chronology is either intentional falsifica-
cubistic. I think Noland is the only first-rate sibly on Ann Truitt but mainly on the failings tion or ignorance. The statement about my
artist involved—Louis is dead—and I like No- of 'Minimal Art', including me. This is the derogatory review of Truitt's show is also
land's circles better than I like anything of his nadir of the failures : shady. Regardless of work never shown,
since. Caro is a conventional, competent second- Flavin, Morris and I were in a group show at
'And with the help of monochrome the artist would
generation artist. I don't understand the link Green in January 1963 and later that year.
have been able to dissemble her feminine sensibility
between Noland and Caro, since wholeness is One of Greenberg's worst statements, attri-
behind a more aggressively far-out, non-art look, as
basic to Noland's work and cubist fragmenta- so many masculine Minimalists have their rather buting everything to money, was in Studio
tion is basic to Caro's. I think Caro had his feminine sensibilities.' (Greenberg's italics.) International in January 1968 :