Page 57 - Studio International - September 1973

with other successful artists, by women than by men. Because outdoor Sculpture Garden was again
editors, critics and curators, rather women are more in touch with USA open in the evenings, 'Summergarden'
than with unsuccessful artists? themselves ? Because women have entertainment ranged from
been neglected for so long that there As New York's galleries closed for the demonstrations of Flamenco Dancing
Ad Reinhardt (and Lenin) said is a great backlog of good work just summer and most dealers left for the by Cecilia Torres and Luis Liciaga to
freedom is a negative. It's freedom being recognized ? Because women Art Fair in Basle, there were a couple Hellman's Angles, a Jazz and baroque
from something. What distinguishes are freer due to their erstwhile of exhibitions worth noting. trio. In the galleries were two small
our responses to nature directly isolation from the art world ? Is it At André Emmerich downtown exhibitions; 'On a Clear Day' was a
experienced, to nature photographed, 'good' for women artists to 'get into' there was s small show of new set of silk-screened prints by Agnes
to nature painted and drawn, to the art world ? Will they change it? lithographs by the English artist Martin. The prints, a project conceived
nature referred to indirectly in David Hockney, depicting images of in 1972, were printed at Domberger
abstraction, to nature described in Is something more valuable if done Mist, Lightning, Wind, Snow, Sun, Workshop in Stuttgart. As the title
writing ? first or done most effectively? and Rain, the suite was appropriately implies the prints are an attempt at
titled Weather. clarification or purification of the line
Time has a different effect on How often can a similar esthetic In the Robert Schoelkopf Gallery in Martin's work. Projects; 100
photographs and on paintings or problem be approached different there was a wonderful exhibition of Boots, by Eleanor Antin consisted of
sculpture. ways without becoming 'exhausted' ? Walker Evans's photographs. Besides 50 postcards of 100 black rubber
the well-known pictures of the boots in different situations. The
Collage, or fragments more or less Isn't our concept of esthetic tenant farmers and sharecroppers in project, conceived of as a mail piece,
related, is one of the most viable exhaustion akin to the rapidity with Alabama the exhibition included has been executed over the past 2½
concepts remaining to contemporary which we as a society waste natural some rare beauties, like a 1929 years, during which time Antin has
art. resources? photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge. mailed the cards to over 1000 people
'A Flower in Every Meadow' was around the world.
There seems to be more good new art Are artists' ideas natural resources? the title of an exhibition of Indian
Deccan paintings at the Asia House. Also at MOMA, Franz A. Skryanz has
This small and carefully selected been chosen to succeed Han van den
exhibition, accompanied by S. Cary Houten as Director of Finance and
Welsh's informative catalogue, was S. I. Newhouse has been elected a
exceptional. trustee.
LINDA CATHCART
This fall will see the closing of the
Lawrence Rubin Gallery. Mr Rubin,
who represented artists including
Tony Caro, Jules Olitski, Larry Poons PARIS
and Tim Scott, will be joining M.
Knoedler Et Co. as their Director of Group Show at 16 Place Vendome,
Contemporary Art. Paris, May - June 1973
Michel Claura and René Denizot, two
Irving Blum, a Los Angeles-based young French critics, organized a
dealer, has given up his gallery and show of painting recently in an empty
will come to work for New York's pseudo-classical apartment in Paris.
Marlborough Gallery this September. The nine artists represented were
Daniel Buren, Alan Charlton, Giorgio
Also closing is the Lo Guidice Gallery Griffa, Bernd Lohaus, Brice Marden,
in Soho. This large and unpredictable Agnes Martin, Robert Ryman
showing space will be missed by Palermo and Niele Toroni. A
downtown gallery goers. catalogue heading outlined the basic
theme of the show, which ostensibly
To offset the loss of Rubin and Lo centred around the notion of painters
Guidice it should be mentioned that who question painting. Implicit in this
there will be several new galleries statement was the premise that the
opening this fall. Among them the work of the artists included embodied
Andrew Crispo Gallery, which certain insights into recent painting
technically opened late last spring and demonstrated possibilities for
with a 'Torso' show. The gallery will further modification and change. This
more. Enlarged, the space intrudes Ideally, criticism reaches out past the open this fall with an exhibition of was misleading.
and transforms, making the original professional art world and bridges work by the late Paul Feeley.
picture flat and single. I take some gaps, brings up some questions Agnes Martin's quietand sophisticated
photographs of rocks because they that might not have occurred, says The Met recently released a 42-page contribution to painting has received
are the most wholly satisfying things that can be argued with, and, document, titled Report on Art a lot of attention recently, but she
subjects, with their sensuous shapes above all, sends the reader back to the Transactions. Basically it (1) upholds hasn't painted for five years now.
and surfaces, secret places and art and then in turn back to life with the museum's need and right to The two small rectilinear paintings
histories, endless associations of some new equipment. It doesn't work dispose of works of art (2) defends the weren't definitive enough. One
movement and stillness and change that way. Only a minute number of existing methods of checks and incorporated criss-cross lines
and time— geological and intimate non-professional readers participate balances employed in deaccessioning traversed twice, another had rows of
spans, their hardness and their with criticism in a dialogue around and disposing of works or art (3) seed or tear shapes, both on a black
clarity. I am not making art, but further the art. Usually they read it as a promises to make 'the fullest ground. Ryman's two paintings were
indulging the visual fantasies that manual to good taste, as directions practicable public disclosure' white acrylic brushed into five-foot
are provoked by the art I see and how to think, all too often before concerning its art transactions and (4) square canvases, with subtle
write about. I make photographs of seeing the work itself, if it ever is seen. announces a number of modifications inflections worked across the surface.
rocks so I can have them for myself. in the museum's disposal procedures Apart from some drips, the surface
I find the trade journal aspect of art which, in summary, will 'provide for edge was left bare in both cases.
Art is not useless, but its use is criticism stultifying. It sharpens the greater public disclosure; take into Marden showed two paintings, one a
neither broadly known nor broadly intellect at the expense of dulling the account the interests and views of two-panelled encaustic painting in
valued nor even recognized when it is senses and the conscience. I don't museums, scholars and others outside two tones of grey. The lighter grey of
at the height of its usefulness. What like being trapped in that world where the Metropolitan ; increase protection the left-hand panel was repeated in
is recognized by the small segment of the issues become smaller and for the interests of donors; and provide the other, smaller piece, in which the
society that consumes art is not its smaller until finally one is writing for notification to the Attorney corners were slightly rounded. The
usefulness, but its capacity for being blurbs and carrying on intermural General of intended transactions'. dry, opaque surface and the fairly
used — as a status symbol, as international squabbles. uniform vertical application of the
decoration, as property. LUCY LIPPARD At the Museum of Modern Art the wax made for minute overall
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