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biennialsAndBeyond.md

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Biennials and Beyond ─ Exhibitions That Made Art History: 1962 - 2002

Bruce Atlshuler, Phaidon, 2013

paired with Altschuler's Salon to Biennial: Exhibitions that Made Art History: 1863-1959

new reading on art history based on canonical exhibitions

Contents

TOC

  • Preface
  • Introduction by Bruce Altschuler
  • Content: 25 exhibitions, presented chronologically
  • Notes
  • Selected Bibliography
  • Index

Abstract

Biennials and Beyond documents the most significant and pioneering exhibitions that took place betwen 1962 and 2002. Some shows have been selected for their innovative installation, others for the impact they had on the reception of contemporary art either globally on in a given country, and yet others for the role they played in advancing significant trends in recent art. Together they form an exceptional sourcebook for anyone interested in contemporary art, the history of exhibitions and curatorial practice.

Preface

The study of exhibition: come upon little-known documents that enrich, or even radically revise, our understanding of medern and contemporary art

  • these documents often remain hidden in archives, libraries, and obscure publications
  • most powerful among them are installation photographs, which provide a visual connection to crucial art historical events, allowing subtle ─ and occasionnally not-so-subtle─aspects of display to cast new light on seemingly well-known shows and institutions. making such images available is a central purpos of BAB
  • equally essential are the contemporary texts from catalogs, newspapers, and journals, supplying vial context and first-hand views of artists, organizers, critics, and their fellows
  • with the growing interest in exhibitions and art world institutions, such documentation plays and increasingly important role in our understanding of the recent past
  • scrutinizing the historical presentation of art also illuminates our own experience, prompting a more nuanced perspective on current artistic and curatorial practice

Any project that assembles material documenting such a range of activity, and accross so many years, starts with a crucial and potentially contentious selection process

  • together with the STB published in 2008, this book traces a range of important exhibitions that have helped shape the way art is seen and produced today
  • even though these two books have allowed us to include almost fifty different exhibitions, ranging from 1863 to 2002, the abundance of prospective entries and the amount of information about them made for extremely difficult choices
    • focusing on group exhibitions of contemporary art, rather than single-artist shows provided one constraint
    • additional limits arose from practical concerns; for instance, some important exhibitions had to be omitted only for lack of documentation
  • another consideration in selecting these exhibitions was their resonance with current views of what is historically important. art historical discussions have recently expanded to encompass the roles of the market and art world institutions, art-making by members of marginalized groups, and activities in non-Western nations and postcolonial societies. We have included some exhibitions here because they reflect one or another of these developments, but the main thread of the exhibitions features in BAB runs through exhibitions featuring the canonical movements and characters in modern and contemporary art
  • because this is the first work to publish a large amount of exhibition documentation, it was important to include such historically significant shows, for although the exhibitions may be well known, many of the installation photographs and period texts relating to them are not
  • other shows could certainly have been chosen: this selection is determined by our view of the significance of these particular exhibitions for how are was and would be produced, seen, and understood.
  • it is a selection inflected─like the evaluation of artworks themselves─by personal background and taste

Introduction

Exhibitions

widget

  • Exhibition title
  • Location
  • Date
  • Curator
  • Itinerary ? : none
  • Artists
  • Exhibition catalog ? : none
  • [related publications]
  • Additional information
    • number of artists ? ca ? over?
    • number of works ? estimate (ex: 150-200) ? : unknown
    • total attendance ? ca ? : unknown

contents:

  • textual description (1 page)
  • archival documents:
    • invitation, poster
    • catalog cover and excerpts (including map of the exhibition and diary detailing the installation of the show)
    • exhibit archives: artists' instructions
    • letters
    • newspaper article, cartoon
  • photographs
    • installation views
    • events
      • opening night
      • press conference
      • performances
  • documents:
    • press / publications
    • letters / correspondence
    • excerpts from the exhibition catalog
    • artists' statements, diary and travelog
    • communications (memorandum to the trustees)
    • archives from a symposium linked to the exhibition

Questions, observations

  • si on regarde les informations présentes, quelles reconstitutions possibles? espace trop variable, on n'a pas les informations sur les salles des musées