Page 15 - Studio International - July August 1971

fragmentary critique of method would be worse This spring in Happily the museums made up somewhat for
than none at all. The plan of extending the all this. They undoubtedly offer more
study of the three visual approaches to reality West Germany exhibitions, and a wider variety, than their
to include film and theatre as well is still very counterparts in any other European country.
much in the air. It is now clear that the Robert Kudielka The decentralization of German artistic life has
long-running avant-garde theatre festival, an advantage in that it leads to rivalry between
Experimenta, was financially supported by cities and provinces in the field of museum
Frankfurt interests only so long as this policy. And of course there is more money for
satisfied their need for local prestige; the large and expensive joint projects.
support has now gone. The exchange of important exhibitions is
Most qualified observers in Germany now the rule : at the beginning of the year a
consider that it would be a national disgrace if Jacques Lipchitz retrospective and a
the most comprehensive attempt at definition documentary show on revolutionary French
of a cultural position ever made (`The Visual architecture travelled round the country;
Arts in Society') were to be forced by public exhibitions of Mark Rothko and Kurt Schwitters
meanness to produce only fragments. The lack have
have just done the same. To strengthen and
of interest shown by industry and trade unions deepen this kind of collective enterprise, seven
in any cultural events other than regional ones, institutions formed an exhibition union in May.
will be adversely compared, especially in The cities of Leverkusen, Wuppertal, Duisburg,
Germany's 'international year', with what Münster, Bielefeld and Kiel, and the Haus am
happens abroad, particularly in America. And Waldsee in Berlin, propose to plan and carry out
why do the world's great collectors not invest their future exhibitions in concert. It is
in the international development of art, instead particularly encouraging that a Berlin
of simply buying things for themselves ? The organization is included; since the West Berlin
government has dug a little deeper into its art scene has no other real contact with the
pocket than before and given 1,900,000 marks; federal area. The exhibition 'London Now',
revenue should produce another 1,700,000 : which was shown in Berlin this spring, has
which leaves 2,100,000 marks to be found. What unfortunately had little impact elsewhere.
is more, as a result of inadequate supervision at In spite of this general pluralism there are
the last Documenta, the insurance companies naturally some parts of the German museum
have put up their premiums by as much as world which are more important than others.
13o per cent. In the west there is the Kunsthalle in Düsseldorf,
The specialist staff will have to be seconded which this spring put on retrospectives of
from outside; there is no one in Kassel. The This spring was a season for museums. Bridget Riley and Jim Dine; the Museum am
individual sections will have independent Retrospectives and representative survey Ostwall in Dortmund continued its series of
organizers who will provide their own staffs; exhibitions dominated the scene; contemporary national representative shows with 'Eleven
and now that a number of museum directors art entered a creative pause; the private galleries Italians' (two years ago they showed 'Marks on
have expressed interest, the dealers will follow vainly held a finger to the wind. Canvas' by English artists); so too the
suit before long. The existence of firmly In the Cologne Galeriehaus the most Kunsthalle in Cologne, which from May to
circumscribed briefs will make it possible to important months—March to May—were taken June showed 'German Painting in the
avoid empire-building and the inefficiency that up by repeats, stopgaps, and the gallery's own Nineteenth Century'. The comparatively s
accompanies it. ready-made goods. Heiner Friedrich confined Haus Lange Museum in nearby Krefeld
The big question-mark is the artists. No one himself to a single highpoint in March, when he occupies a rather special position; its director,
has hitherto been permitted to make an official showed an excellent installation by Dan Flavin. Paul Wember, is well known for his
approach to any artist in the name of Neuendorf continued his West-Coast mission uncompromising support of experimentation in
Documenta 5. Will, for example, Arno Breker, with Richard Yokomi and Kenneth Price; an art. In March he showed the Austrian group
an artist who worked under Hitler, allow escapade with Darby Bannard did not make him 'Haus-Rucker-Co', who, with imagination and a
himself to be brought in for the purpose of that see the light. Ricke, with exhibitions by Keith lavish use of technical resources, presented a
`coming to terms with the past' which was the Sonnier and Giorgio Griffa, once more model of the conditions under which man might
main theme of German literature for two demonstrated his loyalty to an avant garde which possibly one day live, should the destruction of
decades, but which has never taken place in operates on the brink of the Void. Onnasch on the environment continue. This almost
art ? Will Constant and Nicolas Schöffer allow the other hand, newly arrived from Berlin, put astronautical environmental piece was the most
themselves to be placed in the same category his faith in the proven saleability of Edward exciting exhibition in Germany this spring. And
(Reality of Representation, subsection Utopia) ? Kienholz and George Segal, while Thelen it is revealing, in the present context, that this
In general, will the artist consent to go beyond imported, with Alex Katz, the massive boredom exhibition was not actually an art exhibition.
merely showing his work to the best possible of the New Realism. Only Muller and Wilbrand Especially among the younger German artists,
advantage and seek a role within a context ? broke through the predominantly American a state of confusion exists which is probably
In a conception which seeks to place public, orientation and gave German artists a chance. unique in post-war history. In many art schools
expert and artist on a footing of equality, will While the Kineticist Wilding and the painter the students refuse to take part in any manual
the artists, who are against all pedestals, consent Jochims were at Wilbrand's (two aesthetes of activity; instead they discuss the impossibility of
to step down from their own ? We shall see how the old guard), Muller presented his new producing true art in a capitalist society. Group
serious the leading artists are about wanting discovery Stefan Wewerka. Wewerka's projects are still approved of, since—in theory at
social effectiveness. If they aren't, a lot of Lecktschuring Holl (sic), an ensemble of tilted, least—they seem to offer a contribution to the
third-rate artists are going to acquire market distorted chairs, ought really to be bought by the elimination of bourgeois individualism. In
value as a result of Documenta 5. Cologne dealers themselves. Perhaps some of practice they hardly ever produce valid solutions,
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY them would then realize how contorted their as the yearly youth prize (Kunstpreis der
DAVID BRITT posture in the art-world really is. Jugend) exhibition showed. The prize this year
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