Page 50 - Studio International - September 1974

REVIEW 8
Museum in memory of Konrad is now more than one generation of recurrence of non-formal or stylistic 'ready-mades'. His paintings and
Adenauer. The official reason for the Conceptualism. It could then have preoccupations, even obsessions. drawings often seem to be less
refusal was the economic survey selected good artists and good work Much the same comparison could be successful, though oddly many of his
Haacke had made of Herman J. Abs, to represent the generations. Or they made with Ernst. But Man Ray's later (sixties) assisted ready-mades
chairman of the Friends of the could have defined a new movement. obsession is with the means of doing like Mes Douze Coeurs and
Museum. The director, Herr Dr Instead they found out that the avant- and it is here that his importance lies. particularly L'Etoile de Verre gain
Keller, pointed out that the museum garde mentality has got a little bored His invention of new camera much of their interest from having the
relied upon donations, and Haacke's with dematerialization but decided techniques in both still photography immediate look of paintings. Much
scrutiny of Herr Abs's wheeling and that nothing yet had taken its place. and in film-making has been the same can be said of his
dealing was unlikely to help future So the exhibition did not even respect enormously important in the field of photographs but this comes over
donations. However the piece told those artists who have undoubtedly design — almost as much as in the field particularly in a bronze sculpture
another, less international truth. The made, and are making, valid of fine art — but to dismiss Ray merely Fisherman's /do/which looks a virtual
painting had been owned until 1937 statements outside the frailty of as a technical innovator scarcely does stereotype of a 1930s abstract
by Max Liebermann, who had been fashion. One of the musicians with justice either to his work or to his sculpture (it was done in 1927) and

obliged to sell it at a give-away price Phil Glass commented, 'there are a lot convictions. yet is a 1973 bronze cast of an original
to escape the gas chambers. (The of intelligent people around, but the Ray is perhaps more careful than 1927 ready-made out of cork fish-net
exhibition opened the same weekend work all looks like intellectual games'. any of his contemporaries to divest floats. This work (or at least its
that the attempted kidnap of Kurt In 1968 the area was completely his work of the trappings of the re-issue) is an especially curious and
Lischka, deputy chief of the Gestapo open, in Cologne it looked like a 'master' artist, and the ironic lightness ironic double articulation of the
in Paris, was made in Cologne.) Kabbala. Somehow the respect has of approach which is characteristic of ready-made concept. Having
Haacke's piece was given a foster shifted away from the work, back to Dada is perhaps best realized in his produced a light-weight 30s abstract
home in the gallery of Paul Maenz. the human intellect of the people who work. His preoccupation with sculpture in the new style, it is
At exactly 6 pm, the hour of the choose to be artists. It was an technical and formal innovation is not re-issued in the more substantial and
opening party, Daniel Buren began intellectual movement and perhaps that of a technician, but is compatible traditional material forty-seven years
to paste a copy of Haacke's piece on the avant-garde mentality is with the developments in art of the last later, when the look of the ready-made
top of his stripes in the main reaching another mind and body ten to fifteen years in that it is part of a has become as entrenched a sculpture
entrance hall to the exhibition. The dilemma. There are some new commitment to the idea that form in type as the bronze abstract. Man Ray's
next morning some tatty sheets of 'enfants terribles' around, particularly some ways determines content preoccupation with innovation
white paper covered the Haacke noticeable in Germany, and with (rather than vice versa). This whole- demands that he keep abreast with the
facsimile. A few artists made the exceptions of Jack Smith and hearted rejection of the 'master artistic times in exercising these
comments of support beside their Katharina Sieverding, excluded from genius' image of the artist, this articulations and one can at least say
work. Cadere covered his multi- this exhibition. They centre on Sigmar willingness to collaborate on projects that, of the dadaists his innovatory
coloured pole in white paper and Polke and Rene Block and were (with Duchamp predominantly) are career has had the greatest longevity.
Sellotape. Buren pasted a statement shown earlier this year in the uniquely (among the better-known Rosetta Brooks
beside his double-defaced work and Transformer show in Lucerne. They dadaists) celebratory of a collective
drew verbal analogies between the are all about transvestites, the glitter endeavour. One gets the feeling that
situation and fig leaves in the Vatican. syndrome, sexuality, narcissism and Ray regarded all his work as at least Paul Huxley at the Rowan Gallery,
Haacke, who was born in Cologne, masochism. It's all a bit frightening, partially collective productions; the 12 July-8 August
had exposed the museum's pursuit of but like all new movements they like productions of a particular Paul Huxley showed eleven framed
the avant garde as prestige rather to destroy our inhibitions and consciousness (or ideology or works on paper at the Rowan Gallery
than sympathy. However, artists, preconceptions of what art is. perhaps considering them as a recently. Essentially large drawings—
especially those with previous Lynda Morris counter-ideology) and that questions seven around 39 by 39 inches, four
experience of the Guggenheim, know of authorship have been less fifty inches square—they were better
that controversy is good for important to Ray than to his more scaled than the painting shown in a
publicity. U K Reviews celebrated contemporaries. His recent group show at the same gallery.
Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris, Carl determination to divest his works of The work may have sustained more
Andre and Douglas Huebler all Man Ray at the Mayor Gallery, personal peculiarities means that the credibility as a set of working
withdrew, prior to the opening, London, July and August uniqueness of his works collectively is drawings had they been pinned or
because of the Haacke refusal. More There are few artists in this century recognizable in the intelligent taped to the wall. The aluminium
cynical opinion suggested that they who have been as purely motivated by simplicity of his manipulations of the frames partially solved the problem of
wanted out of the exhibition and the desire to innovate as Man Ray. media used. His best works (they edge, although most drawings
used Haacke as an excuse. 'They're This feature appears to characterize seem to vary in success as they do in anyway utilized an internal pencilled
lucky, but the museum directors know and explain the varied and disparate style) are the most economic, border. The familiar prevailing
they have most of us with our backs to nature of his work. The new Man Ray incisive and often the most iconic organization was based on butting or
the wall. We have to worry about exhibition at the Mayor Gallery spans expressions of the Dada sensibility. overlapping rectangles of various
getting our work known.' And as nearly seventy years of activity and the There is no grandness in Ray's art sizes and colours, either wedged into
another artist explained, 'Carl is in a historical separation of the works works. Even more than Duchamp, he the top right-hand corner or stacked
great position, morally he gets full serves to emphasize more acutely managed to avoid any hint of high down the right-hand side,
marks for standing by Haacke, but he stylistic disparity. Curiously, it is this seriousness or profundity or of a accompanied by placements of single
knows everyone will go to see his most dominant aspect of his work high-art unification of individual rectangles, smudges, scrapings and
work at Fischer's in Düsseldorf.' which has often seemed to prevent works. It is for this reason that his rubbings. Much of this 'incident' was
Meanwhile Art & Language were the kind of serious critical attention 'rectified' or assisted ready-mades in a muddy alizarin-crimson on a green
having their own crisis. I think the which has been expended on the come over as the least successful of ground — mostly a thick, cloying light
argument went something like this : other leading dadaists. However, the works on show at the Mayor apple-green — which tended to stifle
What's black and white and red (read) more than Duchamp, Ernst, etc., Gallery (which represents only a small everything placed on it. These two
all over ? Answer : Joseph Kosuth. Man Ray is completely dadaistic in fragment of the total oeuvre). combined against the rest of the
The real fault of the exhibition was his approach. The fact that in Judging by his early film and still colours, resulting in an inert, overall
its ambition. The artists felt that the traditional terms he is a less 'solid' photography experiments, this seems effect.
organizers thought they were doing artist than Max Ernst, for example, to be true of all his work. Everything was fairly unambitious,
the artists a good turn by showing only bears witness to Man Ray's From the mixture of photographs very staid and guaranteed to at least
them. The other problem was the commitment to the stylistic anarchy and 'rectified' ready-mades on show, partially succeed. Untitled No. 137
growing feeling, even amongst the of Dada. The chameleon-like nature of it is clear that Man Ray's response to utilized elements common to several
most established artists, that his output, as with Duchamp's work, photographs is to treat them almost other drawings. Six rectangles were
conceptualism has denied its own is a rejection of an identifiable patte, exactly as ready-made objects. His stacked adjacently in sets of three
principles. The social, intellectual and the unmistakable imprint of the photographs are regarded as assisted from top to bottom of the right-hand
economic idealism of the movement 'auteur' on each and every work. or 'rectified' by his use of 'rayography' edge. Those of the outer set were of
has proved itself immature in the face Unlike Duchamp, though, Ray (the technique which he invented the same width ; two narrow verticals
of hard cash. Projekt tried to steer concentrated his attention almost 'moving light chimera on fluted Plate') —burnt sienna and pale orange—
around this problem. It could have exclusively on formal or stylistic by solarization and by their method of topped by a smaller, almost square
found two solutions. Firstly a sensitive, innovation, whilst Duchamp's works mounting Two Part Nude Study, light ultramarine. The base of the inner
careful acknowledgement that there manifest clear thematic links and a whilst others remain unassisted set, a purple square, extended around