Page 35 - Studio International - May 1972

Relief construction (Diptych) 1955-57
2 Relief construction 1956-60
3 Relief construction 1956
4 Relief construction 1956

known to me through reproductions and a film
shown on BBC TV some years ago in which
Snelson was incorrectly described as a
disciple of Gabo—in the same programme was a
film on Gabo in which the elder artist was
given rather less attention.... (I am tempted to
surmise that this may be the explanation why
Snelson is so conspicuously absent from
George Rickey's book Constructivism—
Origins and Evolution.8) For me, Snelson is one
of the most talented (and intelligent) of his
generation and I readily admit that his pieces
had an influence on my decision to develop
some notions that could be realised as three-
dimensional structures using a system of
articulated tubes. Incidentally Snelson is to be
credited with the discovery of what is known
as `Tensegrity', which Fuller appropriated, only
conceding the fact somewhat tardily.
whom I have written on occasions6—the With regard to any connection with Fuller's
question really has to do only with 'minimal' structures, in which I was once interested
and 'conceptual' art. When I met Don Judd, (1950—I, the then-unpublished 'Energetic
in 1964, he was describing himself as a Geometry'), my pieces are devoid of any
`constructivist painter'. I didn't show him physical / technical innovations such as
reproductions of any of my works and I doubt Fuller's `Dymaxion' principles and owe their
that he knew of me; we were introduced origins to work on elementary topological
prior to taking part in a panel discussion on group theory—some conjectures that have
`geometry and art' organized by the Anonyma subsequently been proved correct. Collectively
Group (speakers from the floor included Ad these works are entitled Hommage to R.F. —
Reinhardt). Perhaps Judd might have been Roberto Frucht being one of my patient
interested in reliefs I had made in 1955(1) teachers, but also the most sceptical as to the
and 1956(2, 3, and 4). I showed (I) at a two-man likelihood of my conjectures proving true.
show with Gillian Wise at the I.C.A. in 1958, This brings me to 'conceptual' art, inasmuch
(2) at the 'Experiment in Construction' as Peter Stroud recently suggested that doing
exhibition in 1962 (Amsterdam and Zurich), mathematics—as per 'mental' or purely
and (4) in an exhibition 'British `abstract' construction was a form of 'conceptual'
Constructivist Art' which toured the U.S.A. in art. I have never looked at it this way and I am
1962. (A small version of (2) is owned by not persuaded that the point is germane, or, if
Patrick Hughes and (3) by Howard Hodgkin.) conceded, would relate me to anything
Let it be understood that I am not making presently done in the name of 'conceptual' art.
any specific claims here (pace Heron7)
addressed to Judd or any art historian / critic In the early sixties Yona Friedman and I
(English or American). However, I sympathize became interested in the idea of theoretical
with Heron over the enormities of American art. This idea sounds as if it were an attempt to
chauvinism. We—the English—are particularly do for art what 'theoretical' is supposed to do /
sensitive in the matter, particularly ever since /mean for sciences, as when employed as a
the Americans decided to take on the French prefix before 'physics', 'biology', etc. But it was
and to beat them at their own game. As a not really that. We were interested in making
result England finds itself in the position of `models' of all kinds of art 'situations' (past,
`pig in the middle'. present and future) and ultimately the exercise
On a recent visit to New York, 197o, I met would be to exhaust all possible situations and
the sculptor Kenneth Snelson and saw some of simply list them and categorize them with no
his works for the first time; previously they were recourse to any value judgements. I believe the
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