Page 97 - Studio International - May June 1975

Angeles County Museum, is to Jefferson Place Gallery, Brockie de Kooning's drawings and
be the new Chief Curator at the Stevenson, a painter of flat, sculpture was afterwards used to The 'Belgian issue'
Corcoran Gallery, where Roy hard-edged representational exhibit works in the collection
Slade is now Director. The pictures, showed some new not normally on view (which
initiative of all these younger canvases of buildings and included an important large The October issue of Studio
people may bring about a change windows at Pyramid Gallery Gottlieb pictograph, The Seer International was entitled
in the climate of the Washington that were fresh, clear and (1950), and a small painting by `Belgian issue'. If we may
art world - though, since the convincing in their colour Keith Vaughan, both of which consider Studio International as a
economy has drastically juxtapositions and their chosen I've never seen hanging at the serious and specialized periodical
altered since the late 1960s, it is proportions. A 'Washington Phillips Collection in almost ten in the arts, then also. the
likely that the emphasis in future Invitational' show at the Adams years). And there, just over a expectation was justified that this
will be on the museum collections Davidson Gallery last November year and a half ago, a sculpture issue would elucidate the actual
rather than on temporary confirmed my impression that by Anthony Caro arrived - until situation of Belgian art by an
exhibitions. Such a switch of two of our senior still-life the Hirshhorn Museum opened objective analysis. After having
emphasis could prove all to the painters, Robert Gates and Ben the first and only Caro in a applied the rules of objectivity,
good, and so could the current Summerford, have moved more Washington museum collection. analytical mind and apprehension,
efforts of the museums not to securely into domains that are What was additionally the lacks of the Belgian issue
duplicate each others' their own, with on the one hand a exciting about this sculpture's appear acutely.
programmes and acquisitions: spacious grandeur and on the arrival was its initial installation It consists indeed in a junction
indeed, with some imagination, other a looser painterliness; it in the Phillips Collection's of impressions, and we don't
many memorable exhibitions also increased my awareness `Braque Room'. Placed without believe that the following of
could be organized from simply that the carved and articuIated pedestal on the carpet, the impressions can be in accordance
pooling the resources of the wooden sculptures of Jennie Lee sculpture began to influence one's with an analyticaI, scientifical
different collections. Knight have not only a beauty of view of the paintings - and method. Barbara Reise's
I referred back to 1966-1968 finish but also a finely retained vice versa. The interlocking excessive disregard of the reader
because the high level of emotion in their understated facets of the Braque paintings is obvious, while she begins the
contemporary art exhibitions at suggestions of natural forms. I brought out the system of major article with the heading
the museums then had a profound suspect an emphasis on museum triangular, rectangular and `Impressions'.
effect on the situation and collections will prove a support to trapezoid shapes of the Caro, and A repeated reading of the issue
development of the local artists. these four artists. its leanness, making one realize revealed to us your base for its
Those two years saw the last That things are changing the truth of Darby Bannard's composition, and we have serious
flourish of what has come to be towards this direction in the description of Caro's work as doubts about the objectivity of
known as the 'Washington museums is already evident. The `cubist'; the sculpture in turn this base. Your greatest attention
Colour School', in the first non- Corcoran Gallery has recently brought out the geometry and the goes namely to these artists,
masking-taped, folded and rehung its important collection angular relationships of the whose work originates wholly
poured canvases of Sam of pre- and early 20th-century paintings, particularly those of from influences by currents that
Gilliam. These paintings, which American painting and Music (1914), the clearest and recently became internationally
constituted Gilliam's sculpture, to much greater visual most bare, most formally cubist important. If your impression is
`breakthrough' (and in my and educational effect. In 1973, painting in this Braque group. that Belgium is a country of
opinion remain the best things the National Gallery announced By its stress on articulation, on imitators, we know and we can
he has ever done) would not have its acquisition of a cubist sharpness, on edges, the Caro declare to the readers that this is
been possible without an painting of 1910 by Picasso by also helped to redeem the not so. There are Belgian artists
awareness of Olitski - and I creating a new 'Picasso gallery.' contrivances of The Round Table who don't look for any direct
think it is obvious from my This was the first time since it was (1929) - even while the sculpture's succour and inspiration in the
chronology of exhibitions that assembled in its entirety at the simple coat of brown paint, so international fashion, but who
1966-1967 in Washington was an Gallery in 1965 that paintings congenial to and in such lovely build up their own art according
`Olitski year'. As well as the art had been taken from the conjunction with the brown to their own idea.
that came to town, a further Chester Dale Collection to be colours of the Braques, showed up Finally, the confusion you
stimulus was provided by the hung with others (in this case, the pretentiousness of this large provoke in the history of
frequent visits of members of the other Picassos lent by Mr and painting's sand-mixed surface twentieth-century Belgian art,
New York art world who Mrs Paul Mellon or given to the texture. Best of all, the Caro, in its proves that there is no attempt
travelled down to see the shows: Gallery in memory of his wife criticism of the paintings, from your side to further the
this helped to make Washington by the Hon. Averell Harriman). confirmed my previous assessment insight in it. Indeed, you suggest
artists feel more important and Presumably, this grouping of of the small fauve-like landscape, that between the generation of
more ambitious, and to give the paintings by Picasso and Braque The Shower, of 1952, - done, it Spilliaert, Servranckx and others
local art world a sense of being will fill one of the galleries in the would seem, in an inspired and the actual, there wouldn't
abreast of New York. new building when it opens. moment over an abandoned have been any artists in Belgium.
The general decline since then More recently, the National still-life canvas - as the superior Every reasonably thinking man
in the aims and achievements of Gallery's Leonardo painting, painting of the group. Here, the understands that this is very
the Washington 'avant-garde' the Portrait of Ginevra de'Benci, sculpture's ragged edges brought improbable.
can be fairly traced, I think, in has been re-installed in a small out the marvellous placement of Lens Fine Art, Antwerp
the progress of Sam Gilliam's gallery with other late 15th- the clotted lengths of purple, pink [Unfortunately material
work. From being one of our century Italian portraits grouped and blue on the two tree-trunks, commissioned in Belgium to
most interesting artists he has around it. The comparisons but, more importantly, the Caro counterbalance the impression of
become one of our most afforded by the new hanging helped to show The Shower's imbalance conveyed in the last
disappointing, with (in more indicate as obviously as the greater depth of feeling, and to paragraph of this letter failed to
recent exhibitions) poured panel's damaged back that the underline the lesson I always get arrive. Ed.]
canvases hanging unstretched portrait has been 'cropped.' from comparing it to The Round ('Correspondence', March/ April
like theatrical costumes or However, for me, the most Table: how wrong Braque was 1975)
scenery, or draped over giant meaningful recent re-instaIlations when he said, 'I am for the rule Barbara Reise to the Editor:
beams or sawhorses to become of twentieth-century art in that corrects the emotion'. The letter from Lens Fine Art
an 'environmental piece' ; Washington have taken place at The Shower is one of those rare (which I assume hides somebody's
various drop-cloths and canvas the Phillips Collection (which was occasions in his later, post-1914 personal name, but which I will
scraps tacked to the wall along the first museum of modern art work where the 'emotion' manages call LFA) raised some points
with old paint-trays, or to open in the United States and to avoid strangulation by the about the 'special Belgian' issue
pencilled children's names; old which also has a new young `rule'. which were so confusedly worded
painting-shoes nailed or glued to Director, Laughlin Phillips, the Andrew Hudson that they become interesting to
a board on the floor; two son of its founders Duncan and decipher. The polite English-
mending and cleaning bills Marjorie Phillips, and a new gentleman editorial response
framed ... empty junk-art young Curator, Richard seemed relevant but generally
obviously derivative of Friedman). Some of the top-floor uninformative except to initiates
Rauschenberg, Johns, and galleries there have recently been in this dialogue. I was the only
Morris. painted white, with the result contributor specifically
On the other hand, a few more that lesser paintings by. Louis mentioned by LFA; so if I speak
traditional-looking artists have arid Gottlieb now look much specifically from my own
quietly moved ahead in the last better than before; the increased experience around that issue,
years. At the time of Gilliam's wall-space provided for a perhaps some information might
last, nadir-seeming show at the temporary travelling show of emerge which would make things

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