Page 19 - Studio International - September 1971

I have in my possession the originals of both injured party was actually refuted by LeWitt, definable in European terms. Again the
acceptances. Merz, Long and Darboven the evening before influence of American painting was, he
Some time later, I began receiving letters the exhibition was scheduled to open when they ascertains, via shape and colour. Scale, the
informing me of artists' decisions not to told Buren that it was his work that was father of the other two, is not mentioned.
participate. I also received a group letter signed compromising their own.' The style developed by Mr Harrison fits
by Gordon Matta, which I suppose had already Daniel Buren's piece did not compromise my aptly Gregory Battcock's description of
been made public. piece since one could not see it from across American mid-sixties art organizers when he
Since no one who knows me could possibly the ramp, nor did it compromise my set said `... the director (or selector) is regarded as
have the slightest doubt as to the fact that I structure which was in the well of the museum. equivalent to that of the artists whose work he
agree wholeheartedly with Gordon Matta's It is absurd to think that it compromised Miss selects, since he is the creator of the
ideological position as stated, and in spite Darboven's piece (a series of books to be exhibition, if not of the individual works within
of the fact that my position to date is that it read in sequence). it'. (The New Art, Gregory Battcock, 1966.)
would still be a good idea to go to Brazil in It is my belief that a museum cannot accept The article continues with the contention
order to talk with Brazilian artists repressed by a work conditionally and that once it is that `... the circumstances of art are changed
a dictatorship, I cannot ignore the reasons for accepted, it should be shown. Otherwise, the essentially by the making of good art'. This is
the Brazilian, Chilean and U.S. boycott, and museum (or other institution) reserves to paralleled in Victor Burgin's statement that
and thus I have definitely decided to call off the itself the right of censorship. `Art's primary situation is not unique to art.
organization of the 'Art Systems' show in Later in the article Diane Waldman states It is that in which a person, or group of persons,
São Paulo. `LeWitt then proposed that Buren have a week by certain displays seeks to alter the state of
I would like to conclude this letter by making by himself at the end of the show, or show apprehension of a second person or group of
it very clear that I take extreme exception to with the group during the last two weeks', this persons.' Herein lies the main motivating
the presumptuous statement made by Mr Matta is untrue, I never suggested this, the proposal activity, that the work is totally within that area
(Jr) to the effect that I might take the liberty of was made by Walter De Maria as far as I know. of public demonstration, emphasis placed on
sending works already in my possession, or I told Diane that it might be a good compromise the relationship between the transmitters of the
which may now come into my possession, on to but it was up to Daniel Buren to decide. information and the receivers. The quality
the Biennial without the consent of their There is no doubt that the banner of `good' expressed by the amount of media
creators. This amounts to a gratuitous attack on Daniel Buren infringed on other works in the coverage per show, the residue not the art
an intellectual worker. show. This is a common situation in group object but the art magazine.
JORGE GLUSBERG shows. When I saw the piece by Daniel Buren Documentation that leads through 2 process
Buenos Aires I told Mrs Waldman that it should be left in is presented in this edition, the same
the show. documentation that was background information
Guggenheim If Mrs Waldman had reservations as to the before. This is a shift of emphasis, not only of
I just received the June issue of Studio feasibility of showing M. Buren's piece, she degree but of type of material from other art
International and feel compelled to point out to should not have accepted this piece, otherwise forms and human experience. Musical score is a
you several factually false statements by Mr she was obligated to show it. series of visual clues recorded and presented for
Messer published in the context of your SOL LEWITT subsequent usage. A train of fixed visual
extensive coverage of the Guggenheim gurgles. Düsseldorf points is pinpointed on paper to explain a
What appears to be a letter of Mr Messer's temporal auditory and physical activity. Again
answering my statement of 3 April (the text in `Virgin soils and old land' in the sciences, methodology has been the
italics dated 5 April) was never sent to me. I saw Charles Harrison in his supporting article for focusing point. Ways of committing to the
it for the first time in Studio International. `The British Avant Garde' (Studio International, eternal the ephemeral, is the subject matter in
Mr Messer's statement that I had retained May) profers criteria in defence of these artists psychological and system evaluation research.
the first names of the real-estate owners and the that are untenable and unwarranted. His soul- The author's lumping together of different
full names of other officers of the corporations searching opening can only be seen in the light criteria does so to their disadvantage.
is wrong. I replaced all names of individuals of the desultory arguments that follow as `Those who dismiss ... art work ... with an
with fictitious names. Apparently Mr Messer attempting to cleanse himself of the guilt for a priori art-theoretical orientation'.... is
did not even examine what he censored. subscribing to the very principles in art that he continued by, that there are reasons for such
During the January meeting together with now derisively attacks. work, and an understanding of these reasons
Ed Fry, Mr Messer did neither discuss the The statement that 'The notion... of a can lead to sympathy with it. Now if he means
abandoning of the show nor did he set the "sensibility" based on precedents is as impotent this orientation as knowledge of precedents of
conditions given in his letter of 19 March. in the domain of art now..: is axiomatic to the work by artists other than those here (which his
There is no reason to go into the rest of Mr whole flavour of the article, and 'justifies' such statement is trying to protect) he would be
Messer's statements here, because this is not the generalized comments as 'The lack of correct. For instance, pages of score presented
place to discuss the ideological background immediately apparent European art history in as 'picture' relies heavily on the same work as
of his actions and reasoning. I just wanted to Caro's sculpture of the early sixties'. This presented by John Cage, equally the minimal/
set the record straight. comment is typical of a type customarily made formalist instructions with it are rudimentary
Visitors' Profile, the polling piece 'judged to by 'journalists' who only see the superficial reductions similar to those presented in a work
be inappropriate' by Mr Messer, is presently in structure as end product. It makes no avail of by the composer Percy Grainger called 'Random
progress at the Milwaukee Art Center's experiments that for instance the Bauhaus Round' at the beginning of this century.
`Directions 3 : Eight Artists' exhibition. conducted into material constructions, based This 'waltz' with history, is again taken up
HANS HAACKE on movement, symmetrical and asymmetrical with a rehashing of that old tune about the
New York balance etc. (be it on a small scale). Abstract possible modes of behaviour that are left open
material consideration is part of a European to the 'seriously' aligned artist. The first, natural
Guggenheim 2 heritage manifest in its architecture and or self-imposed detachment from 'all broad
In the June issue, on page 248, there is a philosophical thought (existentialism). Caro's considerations of "context".... to protect
sentence (a part of Diane Waldman's statement) energy was gained by immediate generation his work from contamination' must surely
which states : `Buren's insistence that he was the friction, the form and content definitively rate as the biggest fraud note of all time. The
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