Page 13 - Studio International - January 1973

sanctioned by those who wield artistic power, development; I regard this catalogue as an Généraux des Artistes Plasticiens, which were
that is, the collectors, dealers, official art bodies, important document for the understanding of to be held in Paris in May.
critics, etc. my exploratory work and my attitudes. In the presence of the above mentioned
There can be an alternative course for the 5 As is my habit, to use an exhibition of this persons and myself, a child was to toss a coin. If
artist:other than that of retreating into total kind to demonstrate the contradictions in my the coin turned up heads, M. Lassaigne's offer
rejection, which may well protect him from position and in the art world, by encouraging to hold an exhibition of my work in June at the
compromise but at the same time reduces him analysis and discussion, showing what the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris was
to the position of a purist who feels he must problems are, and creating situations to be accepted. If it turned up tails, the invitation
cease to participate or change his profession, and designed to make interested people explore was to be declined.
so is deprived of all opportunity to exert an these problems. A document was to be drawn up and signed
influence on the art world. 6 To be able to hand over one room in my by all present.
To change one's profession is only to shelve one-man show to a group of young artists and
the problem; the contradictions experienced in give them the opportunity to show their APPENDIX
the art world merely reflect the contradictions experimental work. It would be helpful to see Observations
experienced by any individual with particular this initiative of mine taken further, when one I am well aware that this method of replying to
aspirations who lives in a capitalist society and considers the difficulties I encountered with M. Lassaigne's proposition was not the ideal
depends on it financially for his means of my early exploratory efforts to set up a answer. Yet in the given circumstances I think
existence. confrontation with the public. it the most apt. On a purely personal level, it
For the individual there is no solution except 7 To use this one-man show to inform public reflected the ambiguous and contradictory
that one emerges from solutions of a social opinion, in a variety of ways, of the situation situation of compromise in which artists find
character; such solutions could be reached in of political prisoners in the Argentine themselves when they attempt to communicate
our world by working to prepare the ground (repression, torture). with their society and help to transform it.
and so create the necessary conditions for 8 As a result of the experience gained from this On a number of different levels, my position
achieving these ends. exhibition, to be able to assess my today is that of everyone in the art world who
A collective analysis of the social situation is development, draw conclusions from the does his best to denounce muddled thought and
under way; the ambiguities, compromises and confrontation with the public, confirm or contradictions in order to promote change. All
contradictions that characterize the situation of correct some of my hypotheses, establish those who are forced to decide whether or not to
the artist today are becoming more and more closer links with other interested parties, and show at the Salon, whether or not to agree to an
apparent. see the path for the future, whether in my own interview, whether to give permission for an
From an understanding of this state of affairs work or in communal work with others. (Nor edition or a sale, or simply whether to offer their
and action by artists to deal with their own do I neglect the benefits that would accrue to work to an art gallery.
problems, a desire for change could emerge, and the gallery that represents me, in terms of It might be objected that my situation is
with it an insight into the best way of putting publicity and finance.) privileged because I have a certain international
these changes into practice. On the basis of the above analysis, the reputation and can count on the financial
I can only endorse this awakening of purpose contradictions I have spelled out and the support of the Galerie Denise René, and that I
among artists and I will collaborate with them statement of my intentions, I declared myself can therefore afford to adopt this sort of
to the limit of my powers to ensure that these incapable of a decision either to accept or to attitude. Possibly that is so, nevertheless there
aspirations are realized by working collectively decline M. Lassaigne's invitation. Unwilling is a genuine element of risk.
to expose the fundamental problems : the role of that anyone else should decide for me, I I have no wish to see my gesture interpreted
the artist in contemporary society and of art in decided to submit to chance, once I had purely as an aesthetic act; I want it to be
the prevailing ideology; the monopoly of artistic communicated my ideas to those who kindly regarded as one means (among many) of
creation; and action by the people to deal with agreed to be present at the Musée d'Art drawing attention to the problems that concern
cultural problems currently under the control Moderne de la Ville de Paris on Saturday, us and to the present artistic situation for which
of the ruling class. April 1972, at eleven o'clock: we are all of us responsible.
A number of personal reasons inclined me to M. JACQUES LASSAIGNE
accept M. Lassaigne's proposition: Conservateur en Chef of the Musée d'Art
To intensify my professional activity in the Moderne de la Ville de Paris, responsible for Denouement
course of preparing and mounting the the invitation issued to me to exhibit in the The meeting took place in the presence of all
exhibition. rooms of the museum. the persons mentioned above. Le Parc read his
2 To see a comprehensive selection of my Mlle CONTENSOU text. As the child was about to toss the coin
exploratory works grouped together in one Conservateur of the Musée d'Art Moderne de M. Lassaigne intervened to express his
place in Paris. la Ville de Paris, colleague of M. Lassaigne. disagreement with this procedure. This gave
3 To try to show in the way I present the stages Mme DENISE RENE rise to a discussion of approximately two hours
of my development, providing detailed Director of the Galerie Denise René in Paris, among those present. M. Lassaigne was inclined
analyses and with accompanying texts and with an exclusive contract for all my work. to withdraw his invitation to M. Le Parc so
public debates, my firm and long standing M. CRUZ DIEZ that its fate should not be decided by the fall of
determination to destroy the opposition Artist represented by the Galerie Denise René. a coin. As the child was about to toss the coin
`art-people' and demonstrate that it is possible Mme MARTHA LE PARC M. Lassaigne and Mlle Contensou left the
for the people to be creative; in this way to try Representing the family. meeting place.
to round out the fragmentary view of my work MM. GERARD FROMANGER and MERI JOLIVET The child tossed the coin: it turned up tails.
that may have been formed in Paris from the President and Vice-President of the Salon de As a result M. Lassaigne's invitation was
limited number of my exhibitions of la Jeune Peinture. declined.
`multiples', such as those staged at the MM. ALAIN JOUFFROY and OTTO HAHN With the exception of M. Lassaigne and
Galerie Denise René, Rive Gauche. Art critics able, if necessary, to report to the Mlle Contensou, those present witnessed the
4 To be able to publish the Düsseldorf art world. document. Mme Denise René added to her
catalogue in French, as the reproductions and MM. MATIEU and REDELE signature the following observation: 'I disagree
the text help to clarify the stages of my Able, if necessary, to report to the Etats with the laws of chance'. q
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