Page 48 - Studio International - December 1973

tubing and fibre-glass. From beauty of that part of the country. point of embarrassment. organizers are interested only in
Minimalism came her basic formal Fourteen of these Cups were on Where the Cologne Art Fair had letting display space — the bigger the
structure and repetition of the same view at Nicholas Wilder's in October, pointed the way it did not manage to better.
element in a piece. But what makes together with several drawings from keep its lead. Confident of its ability to The fairground chaos, the lack of
Hesse's art so moving is that it is at the artist's sketchbook. The porcelain remain exclusive it failed to invite vigorous artistic invention and the
once sublime and absurd, organic— cups were glazed with many bright major foreign competitors (such as soaring price of established modern
often visceral — and geometric, colours, each one having three or Castelli and Emmerich) until it was art, pop art included — all these have
chaotic and perfectly ordered, ugly more colours. They were squarer and too late. Convinced that it could do combined to discourage the museums
and beautiful. chunkier than before, with without the non-buying public, it and the medium-range collector. The
Jud Fine (Mizuno Gallery, protrusions and ledges which made failed to provide informative museum treasures brought out of the
September 16 to October 13) them look almost cubist. The literature until it was too late and safes since the astronomical results of
showed work which was in the porcelain varied from fairly thick to attendance had dropped by half. the Kornfeld Klippstein sale last
transition period from the physical the most delicate wafer thinness. A multitude of art fairs sprang up spring are falling prey to speculating
to the conceptual. Two sculptures Ann Thornycroft overnight but were short-lived bankers. For the experienced
consisting of natural and cast resin because they were too amateurish. auctioneer Kornfeld it was the
bamboo leaning against the wall, Two professional ventures survived 'collapse of a world, the world of the
constituted the more familiar and became worthy rivals of the collector'. He said the only
object-oriented aspect of Fine's Art fairs Cologne Art Fair: 'Art' started up in explanation for the fiercely
work, and ten drawings revealed the Basle in 1970, IKI ('Internationale competitive bidding was that the
artist's most recent interest. Fine's Kunst- und Informationsmesse', the banks were buying up secure values
introspection communicated most vanity fairs? International Art and Information in a big way as a safeguard against
successfully in a piece which owed Fair) in Cologne in 1971 — held since inflation.
much to Oriental scrolls in its European Art Dealers' Association 1972 at the Düsseldorf exhibition But why is a 1916 Chirico put up
appearance. Three identical long, comes into being. halls. Both were handled by for sale by Krugier, a rare Delaunay by
narrow sheets of paper were hung In 1967, eighteen German art dealers experienced municipal exhibition Tarica or a 1912 Picasso by Schmela
next to each other. Typed thoughts of got together and founded the organizers and based on the liberal when such transactions could easily
the artist completely covered the Cologne Art Fair—the first of its kind principle which allowed any gallery to be settled on the telephone ? Why do
paper but were rendered illegible by a devoted entirely to contemporary participate and rent as much space small galleries overreach themselves
superimposed layer of calligraphy 'progressive' art. Without precedent, as it could afford. Thus the size of the with valuable commissions although
repeating the script. it was a gamble which turned out to be stand reflected the financial they must realize that such posturing
'Henry Moore in Southern an unqualified success. At that stage resources of the gallery. In one can only arouse suspicion among the
California', an exhibition organized all galleries wanted to join in, but the instance, the Marlborough Gallery collectors ? (That suspicion soon
by the Los Angeles Times art critic, founders had no wish to share their towered in solitary splendour above hardens when the collectors seek the
Henry J. Seldis, was installed in profits with others. Cologne's a patchwork of tiny display advice of some well-known dealer
October at the Los Angeles County Kunsthalle, the annual venue of the cubicles. and are given a meaningful shrug or a
Museum. The exhibition was Fair since 1968, cannot accommodate The great attraction of financial hint that the painting might be a
limited to works in Southern more than a maximum of forty stands success proved disadvantageous to forgery and the small gallery out of
Californian collections and was (each stand covering just over fifty both these Fairs. Absolutely everyone business within six months.) And
augmented by ten loans from the square metres). Although the eighteen turned up, from Sidney Janis to the why do the progressive galleries, less
artist. The fine installation, by founder members invited guests to smallest village gallery, and spread and less able in a climate of heavy
Craig Ellwood Associates, gave great their annual event they were very out their wares ranging from major investment in the classics to advance
clarity to the development of Moore's particular about their choice. classical examples of modern art to money to artists working on new
work from the small abstract bronzes Inevitably, the Cologne Art Fair hippie beads. Galleries appeared projects, run their display programme
of 1927-34 to the large bronze, remained an exclusive affair and those which were nowhere to be seen at between bazaars in such an austere
fibre-glass and marble sculptures of excluded founded art fairs of their any other time of the year and there and uncompromising fashion ?
the late 60s. own. were collectors who offered their In order to attract attention. There
Doug Edge showed glass and In pursuing this policy, the own collection for sale. The latest has been a growing tendency in
mirror staircases at Cirrus Editions Cologne Art Fair achieved two record was set by I KI 1973, in recent years to show who one is rather
Gallery in September. The two largest important points while giving two Dusseldorf : 311 stands (from all than what one has to offer. At first, the
sculptures, which were identical, equally important ones away. continents except Africa) in three art fairs were the mirror of financial
had five steps each, made of glass Correctly assessing political and exhibition halls covering 25,000 capacity— new contacts, long-term
and backed with mirror. The sides economic interplay, it quickly square metres. Of course, this was no contract business and exhibition
were covered in black 'fake leather' established a link in the field of art longer an exhibition for the general agency activity were merely an added
and the staircases were fitted with between the United States and the public — rather a three-mile stalking bonus. By now the bonus has
hinges and clasps and could be Federal Republic of Germany. event for specialized art hunters to become the essence and the art fairs
closed up so that the mirrored stairs Moreover, the hitherto provincial track down bargains in the rising and are increasingly concerned with
were concealed and the pieces Rhineland became a European force falling of supplies of the various art publicity. The presence of a gallery at
looked like black trunks. Also field stretching from Stockholm to trends. at least one of the three major art
exhibited were six identical Milan. Only London and Paris The watchword of the Cologne Art fairs has an immediate impact —far
isometric drawings or wall remained aloof, living largely on their Fair is quality. 'Art' and I KI live by the more effective, the dealers maintain,
constructions of staircases, the own substance. Despite being motto of democratization. This year's than advertising in art journals.
compositions of which Edge varied exposed to a gradual fading of the Cologne Art Fair was still discernibly Contact is visual, personal and
by changing the position of the New York scene, the Cologne Art Fair artistic in its tendencies, directly informative. Any gallery not
mirror or the leather shapes. engendered an enormously dynamic particularly in the emphasis on the represented will be suspected of
On a Clear Day, a recent portfolio of optimism. Without the Fair, there pictorial effect (even with lacking either the means or the
30 screenprints by Agnes Martin, was would never have been those great Rauschenberg, Bob Morris, Arakawa material to compete and will, in any
on view at the Nicholas Wilder Gallery collections of American art in and Serra) and also in the interest in case, be forgotten among the plethora
in October. These prints, each Europe and emerging German art inscriptions, from Twombly to Alfano of exhibitors present.
15 x 15 in., were published by would not have been discovered by and Opalka. 'Art' 73 and I KI, on th e But this immediate visual impact is
Parasol Press in an edition of 50. international dealers and collectors. other hand, merely presented becoming too expensive. At the
Martin is at her most austere in these Above all, the local communities were market trends— not the individual beginning of October, 1973, the
examinations of the grid, all traces of made aware of the extent of popular painting but the image of the Cologne Art Fair and IKI in
her hand eliminated ; they are, still, interest in contemporary art : 50,000 individual gallery was the smallest Düsseldorf took place concurrently—
extremely subtle and visitors within a week at a modern unit of information. The problem of an unprecedented concentration of
contemplative. The precisely ruled art show, an unprecedented turn-out the Cologne Art Fair is that the modern art trade. After the peak
lines of green-grey merge into the for this part of Europe. All at once, all membership remains too static, a came an atmosphere of abysmal
buff-coloured, smooth, hand-made the museums were trying to outshine fact that stands out in a period of no depression. The main sufferers were
Japan paper. each other with avant-garde sensational new directions in art. The the German galleries which had made
Made in Taos, New Mexico, where exhibitions. Every town sought to dilemma of 'Art' and I KI : the art up the majority of exhibitors. Their
Ken Price now works, the recent project its image through consultants are aiming at a former strength has become their
Price Cups embody the clarity and progressive art—sometimes to the manageable layout while the weakness : foreign collectors are
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