Page 14 - Studio International - January 1973

New York report paintings and sculptures, and he in turn organized by guest curator Roy Sieber,
persuaded EAT to allow his country to buy the professor of art history at Indiana University.
collection. Included are pieces by Ellsworth The exhibit includes 250 examples of textiles
Kelly, Frank Stella, George Segal and and personal adornment (jewellery, headdresses,
Robert Rauschenberg, to name a few, and it etc.) chosen from about 3,000 pieces found in
will be paid for by contributions from the public and private American collections. It is
Swedish public (already amounting to intended to be a survey of the arts of twenty-six
$100,000) and by the sale of sets of original African countries; however, it attempts too
prints based on works in the collection. The much with too little. The space (one gallery) is
artists will be paid for their works, but the not adequate for the work included, especially
`Amsterdam Paris Düsseldorf', currently on galleries involved will forego their usual the ninety-nine textile examples, among which
view at the Guggenheim Museum, is an percentage. Before it goes to Sweden the are some beautiful embroidered pieces from
exhibition in which twenty-four European collection is scheduled for a world tour, which Liberia and appliqué from Ghana. They have
artists are represented by one-hundred and EAT hopes will arouse interest in similar been hung in overlapping tiers, making viewing
fifty-eight works. Curator Diane Waldman has projects on the part of other countries. particularly difficult. The actual number of
coordinated the selections of Fritz Keers, works displayed, while too great for the small
Curator of the Stedelijk Museum in Europeans may eventually end up with more of space, is not great enough in terms of showing
Amsterdam, Blaise Gautier, Director of the New York's art than just the collection intended any stylistic or pattern developments in the
Centre National d'Art Contemporain in Paris, for Sweden. Thomas P. F. Hoving, Director of objects. While everything included is very
and Jürgen Harten, Director of the Stadtische the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is being beautiful, one comes away with the feeling that
Kunsthalle in Düsseldorf, in an effort to bring accused by several New York critics of adopting the exhibition was not so much about African
to New York the work of young or lesser-known Nixon-like tactics of manipulation and secrecy art as it was about American collections of
artists from three major European art centres. in order to sell major art works from that African art.
For the most part the work included is not museum. The Met recently sold The Olive The Brooklyn Museum invited Mary Hunt
shown in New York galleries; it includes Pickers by Vincent Van Gogh and Douanier Kahlenberg, Curator of Textiles and
documentation, drawing, painting and sculpture. Rousseau's Monkeys in the Jungle to Costumes at the Los Angeles County Museum
Joseph Beuys from Düsseldorf, probably the Marlborough Gallery for an undisclosed sum. of Art, and Tony Berlant, an artist and
best-known artist in the exhibition, is included Hoving is quoted, by New York Times critic collector, to mount a small exhibition of
with two rather inconspicuous pieces, and his John Canaday, as having said that the pictures Navajo Blankets. There are eighty-one
fellow countryman, Dieter Rot, shows were 'weak', and that the collection included extraordinary examples of the weavings from
nineteen works, most of which could either be `better works . . . by both artists'. The Art this culture representing the three major
read or eaten. Amsterdam artists include Dealers Association of America and the City styles; Plain Stripe, the Bayeta Serape and the
Jeroen Henneman, who executes delicate University of New York Graduate Centre faculty Chief Pattern Blanket. The blankets were
pencil drawings with wry titles, and Carel disagreed, yet the Met continued to gathered from the collections of such artists as
Visser, a steel sculptor, one of the few artists `de-accession' work, adding an Amadeo Georgia O'Keeffe and Frank Stella and are
whose work I felt was interchangeable with that Modigliani and Juan Gris to those paintings characterized by bold geometric patterning and
of any number of American artists working in sold to Marlborough. To soothe the public brilliant colour. The catalogue accompanying
this mode. The Parisian selection includes Hoving promised that the money from these the exhibition is highly informative as well as
Ben Vautier, whose contribution consisted of sales would go towards the purchase of old full of good reproductions. The exhibition is
a bay full of small canvases painted with slogans masters to fill in the collection's gaps. Selling scheduled to travel in both the United States
about art, truth and ego. work from the permanent collection of any and Europe.
If in fact the exhibition is a fairly accurate museum always risks offending some, yet is part
survey of what is being done in these three of a necessary weeding process which, if done The loft buildings south of Houston Street,
cities, then it is an interesting opportunity for with care and discretion, enables the which now house a great many of New York's
younger New York artists to see what their institution to make timely purchases. leading art galleries, are beginning to have
European counterparts are up to — rather as if Apparently in this case, however, the funds some new neighbours. 55 Mercer Street, 141
the Whitney Museum were to hold a European from the sales were used to purchase a David Prince Street, AIR and West Broadway are the
Annual. Smith and a Clyfford Still. To sell a Van Gogh names of some of the new co-operative
and a Rousseau in order to enable the purchase galleries being bought or rented and run by
Cultural exchange of another sort is being of a Still and a Smith seems, at best, untimely. artists. These artists feel that either they cannot
sponsored by Experiments in Art and One wonders at the sudden interest in the modern or do not want to be part of the traditional
Technology. EAT was originally founded in collection, considering the Metropolitan's gallery system, but they do want exposure for
the early 196os through an interest, on the part notorious lack of concern for contemporary art. their work. Each individual gallery seems to run
of Robert Rauschenberg and Billy Klüver, in the Despite the secrecy which surrounds these differently; some have a committee which
possibilities of a marriage of art and technology. dealings, two sad facts are apparent — the votes on new artists who wish to join, some
EAT has pioneered a new project which again paintings will now probably go into private have directors and others simply rent the space
looks to the special energy of the 6os. collections and possibly out of the country to any artist or group who can afford it. So far
This project was prompted by the idea that (the Rousseau is already in Marlborough's the general level of the work shown has been
American artists working in that decade London Gallery), and future patrons will be quite high. AIR (Artists in Residence), a co-op
produced an unprecedented amount of good very wary about giving our museums of twenty women, and 112 Greene Street,
work, much of which Europeans will never get unrestricted gifts. owned-directed by artist Jeffery Lew, deserve
to see unless it is purchased by them. It is fast special mention. It is good for both public and
being dispersed into private collections, whose Two museum exhibitions which are concerned artists to be able to see as much work as
owners are becoming increasingly reluctant to with the lack of exposure for the art of American possible, and these varied situations and
allow their art to travel. EAT persuaded Pontus ethnic minorities can be seen at the Museum of structures which allow it should be
Hulten, Director of the Moderna Museet in Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum. applauded. q
Stockholm, to choose a collection of thirty `African Textiles and Decorative Arts' was LINDA CATHCART
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