Page 36 - Studio International - December 1972
P. 36
NOTES ON AN EXPOSITION OF CORNERED INSTAL
SET TO CELEBRATE TEN YEARS OF THE ALBRIGHT-
James N. Wood
In 1905 a white marble building designed by connecting the exhibition space of both. It was finally selected set of To Donna variations (an
Edward B. Green, which was destined to this staircase and a second gallery in the old `a' group reversal of side colours) which I've
become a landmark of the Greek revival style in building that Dan Flavin was asked to illuminate been concentratedly researching periodically
the United States, was dedicated as the new on the tenth anniversary of the Albright-Knox since last summer, with test expositions in Los
home of The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy. In Art Gallery. Angeles (in Doug Christmas's Ace Gallery) and
1962 the Albright-Knox Art Gallery opened Flavin's final proposal was the following: in New York (in the Leo Castelli Gallery).
with a total space roughly double that of the 'What I have in mind to displayis in two parts, 'The "Donna" of the dedication is a young,
original Academy as the result of a new building the first, for one gallery, is three near-square handsome, intelligent Angelino who has worked
designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, cornered installations, each eight feet high, each with the Ace Gallery and in film-making.
Owings and Merrill. As divergent in style as the in different combinations of pink, yellow and 'It seems to me that the difficult, somewhat
dates of their construction would suggest, these blue; of forelighting from horizontal single strips, vulgar pink, yellow, and blue that I've combined
two buildings epitomize the late 19th- and top and bottom, with same coloured tubes and for these installations could be located
mid-20th-century conceptions of museum back lighting from vertically sided two-lighters somewhere, maybe anywhere, in Los Angeles.
architecture. The point of contact between the of like-coloured pairs of tubes, which clearly Tor the staircase which permits people to go
two is a frank recognition of opposites, modified cross-project each other to opposite walls behind between the old and new galleries, is an
primarily at one point: the interior staircase the framing structure. Together, they are a appropriately tall installation most peculiar to
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