Student: Binkie Bloemheuvel
Student number: 10178678
Supervisor: Dr. M.I.D. van Rijsingen
Second reader: Dr. G.M. Langfeld
Date: 17-08-2017
MA thesis: Research Master Art Studies (Arts and Culture)
University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam
network, changing conditions, museum exposure
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
“As you set out for Ithaka hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery.” C.P. Cavafy
I would first like to thank my supervisor Dr. Miriam van Rijsingen for her remarkable support and
advice throughout the writing process of this thesis. The New York excursion was a significant eye-opener for the rest of my studies. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction and encouraging me to pursue new research opportunities throughout my studies. Furthermore, I would also like to thank Dr. Gregor Langfeld for showing me the potential of a socio-historical approach and helping me to apply this method throughout my studies.
This thesis was only possible with the support of my family: Hiske and Ruud, Kaayk and Jan, Karel, Elly, Bianka and Tom. Three historians and one mathematician in particular deserve special thank yous. Elsbeth Dekker, thank you for all of your great advice and help thoughtout this thesis journey and your belief that Ithaca was always near, or at least somewhere in sight. I hope to return this wonderful favor during your future research projects. Julia Mullié, thank you so much for your generous advice and to many years of sharing the same research interests and discussing them in great depth. Marte Rijsdijk, thank you for being there throughout my masters program to many years of mutual support and assistance. Ideles Kaandorp, thank you for always checking on me; I’m very grateful that this research journey started in Londen last year.
Table of Contents
Introduction………4-9
Chapter 1: Nauman’s first two European exhibitions: networks, informative actions, and organizational structures
……….10-37
Chapter 2: changing conditions and practice within one particular momentum……… 38- 62.
Chapter 3: Group show mania, Nauman’s exposure in an European museum context in 1969……….. 63-76
Conclusion ……… 77-79.
Bibliography………80-85
Introduction:
My bachelor thesis concerned the introduction of minimal art in Europe between 1964 and 1968. During research on this topic my attention was drawn to several prominent art historians who had already
acknowledged the radical shifts illustrated by the introduction of American artists associated with minimalism and conceptual art in Western Europe at the end of the 1960s. In particular the art historians Sophie Richard and Phyllis Tuchman. They focused on new interactions and transatlantic exchanges between European networks of gallery-owners, curators, and museum professionals and the emergence of a new generation of American artists involved in conceptual artistic practices. In the historical context of the 1960s and 1970s, their research brought to light the network of actors and the changing conditions which had rendered possible the first transatlantic introductions.
A study by art scholar Sophie Richard, entitled Unconcealed. The International Network of Conceptual Artists 1967-1977 Dealers, Exhibitions and Public Collections (2009), discusses the network behind conceptual art during the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s in Europe. Richard focused mainly on the support and dealing network of conceptual art and its international exchange.1 Richard’s study was influential to my research in the sense that it brought my awareness to the potential significance of researching the network behind these introductions. Furthermore, her study illustrated how through small networks new transatlantic exchanges were made possible at the end of the 1960’s in Europe. She highlighted how the introduction of artists working on the other side of the Atlantic were established and how these connections led to their first solo exhibitions in Europe. Richard carried out research in several archives of the support system of minimal and conceptual art and raised my interest in the potential of a socio-historical approach towards the introduction of American artists in Europe in the 1960’s.
Several other art historians have discussed the shifting conditions and practices that made these introductions possible at the end of the 1960s.2 In 1970, for example, art critic Phyllis Tuchman published her article ‘American art in Germany the History of a Phenomenon’ in the prominent journal Artforum, in which she discussed the enormous acceptance and appreciation of contemporary American art in West Germany. Her article is often understood as a lament towards the missed opportunities of American cultural politics on
1 Richard’s definition of the label ‘Conceptual art’ is closely connected to the network that brought these artists
together, Richard has defined the movement as follows: ‘It covers artists who (...) exhibited in the same dealer galleries and museums, but who were producing different kind of works: for example Joseph Kosuth
(Conceptual art), Sol LeWitt (Minimal art), Richard Long (Land Art) and Mario Merz (Arte Povera).’ Please see: Richard 2009: 38.
2
American contemporary art to an American audience.3 Interestingly enough, however, Tuchman already historized a new gallery practice, which was established by a younger generation of West German private gallery owners in 1967. She argued that art dealer Konrad Fischer (among others) in Düsseldorf changed the conditions of the gallery world. Artists categorized as ‘environmentalists and conceptualists’ were traveling from the United States to Germany in order to work on site in Fischer’s gallery. Their practice allowed the design and installation of exhibitions in his gallery space while the artists remained in the gallery for discussion. 4 Tuchman made a first attempt to contextualize that West Germany - and to a larger extend Europe – during this time became a place where art was produced and interpreted instead of only collected and exhibited. In this way, she described a radical shift in which artists, not their artworks, traveled to Europe.5
The examination of these shifting parameters and new gallery practices in the 1960s only recently became the subject of several prominent art-historical studies.6 Recent studies include Brigitte Kölle’s dissertation, entitled ‘Die Kunst des Ausstellens. Untersuchungen zum Werk des Künstlers und
Kunstvermittlers Konrad Lueg/Fischer (1939-1996)’ (2005), which showed that art dealer Konrad Fischer played a key role in systematically extending invitations to American artists to travel to Germany, including figures such as Carl Andre, Sol LeWitt, Fred Sandback, Richard Artschwager, Bruce Nauman, Robert Ryman and Robert Smithson. In her dissertation she contends that this process ultimately established a new method of presentation. The studies of both Tuchman and Kölle have enlightened my own understanding of this era by arguing in favor of the significant impact made by these first transatlantic exchanges in relation to Fischer’s gallery. Within this particular historical moment, artists were literally introduced into a new artistic community with a new set of artistic possibilities on the other side of the Atlantic.7 In this thesis, I will closely examine the introduction of notable American artist Bruce Nauman (Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1941) to the European art scene at the end of the 1960s. Although Nauman was part of these radical introductory changes, the details of his individual introduction on the scene have yet to be researched in depth. Three aspects of Nauman’s introduction in Europe in particular demand further research, and I will elaborate why to my understanding each of these aspects present new research opportunities.
3
In 2016, art historian Catherine Dossin for example elaborated that Tuchman’s article also functioned as a warning for the American art scene. Dossin stated: ‘the tone of the article was ambiguous: on the one hand it revealed pleasure and pride vis-à-vis the German enthusiasm for American art; but, on the other, it hinted on some uneasiness about the disappearance of the American artistic patrimony.’ Please see: Dossin 2015: 216-217.
4
Tuchman 1970: 58- 69.
5 Germer and Bernard. ‘Beyond Painting and Sculpture. German-American Exchange in the Visual Arts’ in
Junker, ed, vol. 2 2004: 379.
6 For an overview of these studies see: Richard 2009: 34. 7
Three aspects: 1. Network
In the summer of 1968, Nauman was invited to travel to Europe in order to participate in Documenta 4 as well as to put on an exhibition at the Konrad Fischer Gallery. To date, little research has been conducted on
Nauman’s inclusion and the network behind his first exhibitions in Europe. In the case of the fourth Documenta, there is no art-historical literature illuminating Nauman’s inclusion in at the event.8 Although Richard’s study carefully analyzed transatlantic correspondence found in Fischer’s gallery archives, she elaborated on the introduction of ten artists at the gallery and therefore did not research Nauman’s introduction and inclusion at the gallery by extension.9 Another interesting element of Nauman’s introduction in Europe is the fact that he worked on the West Coast, in contrast to the majority of conceptual artists in America which were situated on the opposite coast. This contrast ultimately begs the question of how Nauman became embedded early on in the network of European gallery owners and museum directors who advocated for the conceptual art movement, and how they could have encountered Nauman’s work in the first place. These knowledge gaps leave room for new research opportunities dedicated to the network that facilitated Nauman’s introduction, as well as the way in which the artist’s inclusion in these events was made possible in Europe.
2. Changing conditions
In her dissertation, art historian Brigitte Kölle was the first to elaborate on the creation of Nauman’s first site-specific installation Six Sound Problems for Konrad Fischer (1968) in the Fischer gallery during his first trip to Europe in 1968. Although Kölle expands on the changing conditions of the gallery as working space and the changing practices of both Fischer and Nauman, she did not conduct in-depth research into the conditions that gave Nauman a new set of artistic possibilities during his three-week long stay in Europe. Kölle instead
concentrated mainly on a theoretical framework contextualizing the parallels between Nauman’s installation and Beckett’s 1958 play Krapp’s Last Tape.10 This creates the opportunity to look closer at these changing
conditions and practices within a single framework, that of Nauman’s activities during his first three-week stay in Europe in 1968. Furthermore, this allows for the opportunity to investigate Nauman’s installation Six Sound Problems for Konrad Fischer (1968) in relation to this historical context.
3. Museum exposure
Nauman frequently participated in museum group shows in Europe throughout 1969. However, art historical literature has often overlooked Nauman’s inclusion in these exhibitions. For example, the catalogue A Rose Has
8
The catalog Documenta-Dokumente (1972) and the more recent study 4. Documenta: internationale Ausstellung, eine fotografische Rekonstruktion (2007) have included Nauman on the list of participants but do not reflect on Nauman’s inclusion, nor the presentation of his work at the fourth Documenta.
9 At that time, Fischer’s gallery archive was kept private. Richard 2009: 74-75. 10
No Teeth. Bruce Nauman in the 1960’s (2007) as well as Peter Plagens monograph Bruce Nauman: The True Artist (2014) have only elaborated extensively on Nauman’s exposure and recognition in the United States. Nauman’s exposure in these group shows are important for the introduction of the artist in Europe and can address the way in which Nauman was categorized and how his art was perceived in Europe within a museum context.
Method: the archive as source:
A section of this thesis also introduces a new approach to investigating the introduction of Nauman in Europe. Chapter one and two in particular introduce the archive as an important source for reconstructing the artist's introduction. Richard showed that transatlantic correspondences in the late 1960s are valuable archival sources in reconstructing the network behind an introduction. Because in era with no digital communication possibilities and limited travel opportunities, telephone conversations were often too expensive and the most common way to communicate was via mail.11 These correspondences have been preserved in the archives of various museums, galleries, and collectors.
I first encountered the term ‘informative actions’ in an essay by Lara Conte entitled ‘From Arte Povera più azioni povere to When Attitudes Become Form. 1968-69. Mario Merz’s work in group shows and his first international connections’ (2011). Conte only briefly used the term to describe the acquisition of information concerning new art trends in artistic practice occurring at the end of the 1960s.12 The term struck me initially due to its ability to pin down the subject of this transatlantic correspondence and the desire for information about American art within a particular network. In this thesis I introduce the term not only to define the act of sharing and acquiring information but also to illustrate how certain actors provided information to each other regarding new artistic trends. In my opinion, the term also highlights how information on art developed on the other side of the Atlantic and is actively sought due to a lack thereof in Europe. Mapping these informative actions via transatlantic correspondence gives valuable insights into a network of transatlantic contacts and moreover, illustrates how such a network came into being.
In chapter one and two I frequently cite the archive as source. In 1967, Jean Leering became chief of the selection of American sculpture and painting at Documenta 4 while at the same time being director at the Van Abbemuseum. As a result, the exhibition archive at the Van Abbemuseum holds transatlantic letter correspondences concerned with the organization of the Documenta 4. These documents, when considered alongside the transatlantic correspondences of exhibitions concerned with the organization of American art
11
Dorothee Fischer, in conversation with the author, Düsseldorf, Germany, 3 March 2014.
12
Please see: Conte, Lara. ‘From Arte Povera più azioni povere to When Attitudes Become Form. 1968-69. Mario Merz’s work in group shows and his first international connections.’ 18 October 2011. Henry Moore Institute Online Papers and Proceedings.12 March 2017 < www.henry-moore.org/hmi>
tendencies at the Van Abbemuseum, will be an important source in the reconstruction of a network. Recently, the archive of Fischer’s gallery has been digitized at the Zentralarchiv für deutsche und internationale Kunstmarktforschung (ZADIK) in Cologne and has been available to researchers in 2016. Somewhat earlier in 2012, the private archive of Fischer's main contact in the United States, Kasper König, was also made accessible to the public through the ZADIK.13 These archives will be used as sources of reconstruction for piecing back together the network behind Nauman’s introduction.
Taking the above in consideration, this thesis poses the following research question: ‘What new insight can be gained from research on the introduction of Bruce Nauman in Europe between 1966 and 1969, when focusing on three aspects in particular: network, changing conditions, and museum exposure? In addition, this thesis will investigate the potential of archival research in addressing this question.’
Each chapter in this thesis will research and question one of these three different aspects in depth from a socio-historical approach:
Chapter one reconstructs the network behind Nauman’s introduction in Europe in 1968 and the various organizational structures which made this possible. Therefore, the archive is in this case used as an important source. In order to expose the network of actors that brought Nauman to light in Europe as well as to reconstruct how the artist was included in this event, I will analyze transatlantic correspondence in the archives of the organizers of Nauman’s first exhibitions. In particular, these figures will include Jean Leering (1934-2005) of the Documenta 4, and art dealer Konrad Fischer (1939-1996) of the Fischer Gallery. Moreover, comparing and combining these archives will allow me to shed new insight on how these transatlantic networks functioned and how new organizational structures were introduced.14
13
In 2015, the archive of the Konrad Fischer Gallery was donated to the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf. Only recently the archive is made accessible. I have consulted the digital archive at the
Zentralarchiv für deutsche und internationale Kunstmarktforschung (ZADIK) in Cologne and not the physical documents at the museum in the Bibliothek der Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf, because it gave me the opportunity to also included the archive of Kasper König. The archive of the Fischer gallery is digitized as: Archiv Dorothee und Konrad Fischer, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Schenkung. Zentralarchiv für deutsche und internationale Kunstmarktforschung, ZADIK Köln, G 96. Kasper König archive is digitized as: Archiv Kasper König Zentralarchiv für deutsche und internationale
Kunstmarktforschung, ZADIK, Köln, G 20.
14
An important element in the context of this research is that archival documentation of ‘Documenta 4’ has not often been consulted for research. The RKD (Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis) holds one master thesis concerned with the organization of Documenta 4 and the role of Jean Leering, however this thesis does not elaborate on the inclusion of artists in the event. Please see: Rensma, H. 'Jean Leering en de "documenta" 4'. MA thesis. University of Utrecht, 2001. Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), Den Haag, Archief Jean Leering (0325), inv.nr. 736.
Chapter two highlights changing conditions in the case of one particular historical moment. In this section, I will elaborate on the ways in which art dealer Konrad Fischer created new conditions for the gallery and even changed his practice as an art dealer. At the same time, I will discuss how Nauman redefined the conditions of his art practice and why it is interesting to reconsider this first transatlantic exchange within the development of this shifting practice. Nauman’s first site-specific work, entitled Six Sound Problems (1968) having been created for Fischer’s gallery space, will be an important case study to examine with respect to these changes.
Chapter three presents an inventory of Nauman’s exposure in a European museum context in the year of 1969. I will explain in this chapter how these group shows can be valuable to reconsider in relation to the introduction of Nauman in Europe.
Chapter one: Nauman’s first two European exhibitions: networks, informative actions, and organizational structures
American artist Bruce Nauman was introduced with two exhibitions in Europe during the summer of 1968; the fourth Documenta in Kassel, held from the 27th of June until the 6th of September, and a solo-exhibition held at the gallery of Konrad Fischer in Düsseldorf from the 10th of July until the 8th of August. I will analyze transatlantic correspondences in the archives of two people who were involved in organizing the previously mentioned events: Jean Leering (1934-2005) - the Dutch director of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven and the chief of the selection American sculpture and painting at Documenta 4 - and the German art dealer Konrad Fischer (1939-1996).
Transatlantic correspondence in the late 1960s is interesting in relation to reconstructing an
introduction process. It shows the act of gathering information regarding new artistic tendencies: the process of exchanging addresses and contacts and the process of setting up a provisional list of interesting artists. In short, they highlight informative actions. I use the term ‘informative actions’ not only to define the act of sharing and acquiring information but also to illustrate how actors provide information and inform each other about new artistic tendencies.15 In my opinion the term also highlights how information on art from the other side of the Atlantic is actively sought in Europe due of a lack of information. The need for information and the way in which information is shared on new art tendencies must be contextualized in an era with no digital
communication possibilities and limited travel opportunities; telephone conversations were often too expensive and the most common way to communicate was via mail.16
To reconstruct how Leering could have encountered Nauman and how Nauman was included in the fourth Documenta, I will analyze archival documentation that can give insight into Leering’s visits to the United States between 1965-1968, his encounter with new American art tendencies, and the establishment of his own transatlantic network. I will focus on exhibition documentation concerning the organization of the following exhibitions: Kunst-Licht-Kunst (September 1966), Kompas III: Paintings after 1945 from New York (October 1967) Kompas IV: West-Coast U.S.A (preparations started in March 1968) and archival documentation concerned with the organization of Documenta 4 (1966-1968) - part of the Van Abbemuseum archive in Eindhoven. To reconstruct how information was shared and how Nauman’s exhibition was organized at Fischer’s gallery, I will analyze the correspondence found in the archive of the Konrad Fischer Gallery and the personal archive of Fischer’s main contact in New York: Kaspar König, these archives are nowadays part of the The Zentralarchiv für deutsche und internationale Kunstmarktforschung, (ZADIK) in Cologne. In this way this
15 I first encountered the term informative actions in Lara Conte’s essay: ‘From Arte Povera più azioni povere to When Attitudes Become Form. 1968-69. Mario Merz’s work in group shows and his first international
connections.’ (2011). Please see: Conte, Lara. ‘From Arte Povera più azioni povere to When Attitudes Become Form. 1968-69. Mario Merz’s work in group shows and his first international connections.’ 18 October 2011. Henry Moore Institute Online Papers and Proceedings.12 March 2017 < www.henry-moore.org/hmi> 16 Dorothee Fischer, in conversation with the author, Düsseldorf, Germany, 3 March 2014.
chapter highlights how both Leering and Fischer could have known Nauman and how Nauman’s inclusion in these exhibitions was made possible and therefore places the following research questions central: which actors in the networks of Leering and Fischer played an important role in introducing Nauman in Europe? Furthermore, how was Nauman included in his first two European exhibitions?
Informative actions I:
Travelling abroad Leering’s first trip to New York: new transatlantic contacts
In 1964 Jean Leering became director of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven. During his first meeting with the supervisory board of the museum that same year, Leering stated that his focus as a director was on
contemporary art from the 1960s. His main interests included new tendencies in painting, sculpture,
architecture, and historical avant-garde art practices of the twenties 17 With this departure point in mind, Leering prepared the September 1966 exhibition Kunst-Licht-Kunst, which focused on the use of light as artistic
medium.18 For this occasion Leering travelled to New York for the first time from December 9-23, 1965. The purpose of this trip was to find contemporary artists on the other side of the Atlantic who were also working with artificial light. Before going to New York only the American artist Frank Malina had been selected. However, after Leering’s research trip an entirely different and innovative list of artists was assembled, including Dan Flavin and Robert Morris.19 A document titled ‘Impressions gathered by J. Leering on artists using artificial light, during his visit to the U.S.A in December 1965’ shows that Leering encountered at least thirty potential participants for the exhibition, some of which included Chryssa, Stephen Antonakos, Robert Indiana, Robert Smithson, and Trova.20
In the United States at the end of 1965, Leering had established new contacts who had informed him about these artists and accompanied him to some of the studio visits. These contacts were the American art dealer Richard Bellamy and the German Kasper König, both of whom Leering had encountered in New York. West-German art dealer Alfred Schmela – who was also in New York that December and had been an important
17 Pingen 2005: 222. Feldman 2003: 721-724.
18 This exhibition was organized in conjunction with the seventy-five anniversary of the Philips Electrical Company in Eindhoven, please see: Pingen 2005: 230.
19 The selection process is now captured in the archive, see: ‘Plan tentoonstelling Kunst-Licht-Kunst’ and ‘Impressions gathered by J. Leering on artists using artificial light, during his visit to the U.S.A in December 1965. ‘Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven (hereafter VAM),Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 163.
Leering stated on 24 June 1966 : ‘In this exhibition we should like to show a work of Robert Morris, that I have seen in New York in December. Mr. Morris let me know, that this work, a composition of two horizontal fiberglass arches with a light intersection is now in your possession and he believes you are lending it to the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, early this fall.’ Letter from Leering to the Dwan Gallery. 24 June 1966. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 162.
20 Brendes 1999: 69. See also: ‘Impressions gathered by J. Leering on artists using artificial light, during his visit to the U.S.A in December 1965.’ VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 163.
contact for Leering during his first year as a director - had connected Leering to Kaspar König; Schmela and König had known each other previously from the Düsseldorf art scene. Furthermore, the connection between Bellamy and Leering was established through König.21 Richard Bellamy became an important contact for a selected group of European curators and dealers whom despite having traveled to New York to discover Pop art, had actually discovered a much younger generation of artists through Bellamy. The section of art historian Stella Baum, in fact, entitled ‘Die Frühen Jahre: Gespräche mit Galeristen’ in Kunstforum (1989) shows how both West-German art dealers Heiner Friedrich and Rolf Ricke encountered the work of Flavin, Judd, Baer, and De Maria, through Bellamy, at the Green Gallery in New York in 1965.22
When König arrived in New York in 1965 to explore the possibilities of working in the New York art world he saw Bellamy as his desirable new employer. In the spring of 1965, however, the Green Gallery closed after five years of existence because the funding from collector Robert Scull had dried up and Bellamy became active instead at the Noah Goldowsky Gallery. 23 Kaspar König recalled in 2007: ‘1965 bin ich nach New York gekommen. Ich hatte vorher in London gearbeitet und dort studiert, und wollte das gleiche in New York tun. Dafür hoffte ich, einen Teilzeit-Job bei Richard Bellamy zu bekommen, dessen Green Gallery bei meiner Ankunft jedoch geschlossen war. Mit seiner Firma war der Mann pleite, hatte aber sicher die interessanteste Galerie zu der Zeit in New York (…).’ 24 In the second half of the 1960s Bellamy’s Goldowsky Gallery and Leo Castelli’s Castelli Gallery - situated only four blocks from each other – became: ‘the go-to places for European
21 Leering elaborated in an unpublished interview with Paula Feldman the following: ‘Dick Bellamy, whom I met through Kaspar König. He was a friend of Alfred Schmela, who had a gallery in Düsseldorf, and with whom I had very good contacts. Schmela was at the same time in New York as I was.’ Please see:
‘Conceptinterview door Paula Feldman over Jean Leerings tentoonstellingen van Amerikaanse kunst en van constructivistische kunst; met bijlagen okt 2002’ Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (hereafter RKD), Den Haag, Archief Jean Leering (0325), inv.nr.740.
22 Baum 1989: 251
23 Glueck, Grace. ‘Robert Scull, Prominent Collector of Pop-art.’ 3 January 1986 The New York Times. 21 March 2017 <http://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/03/obituaries/robert-scull-prominent-collector-of-pop-art.html> Art historian Catherine Dossin elaborated on König’s early career the following: Starting in 1963 König interned at Zwirner’s gallery, witnessing the arrival of American Pop-art in West-Germany firsthand (...). In 1964 König went to London to pursue his training at the gallery of Robert Fraser, with whom Zwirner
collaborated. At the end of the year, König had the opportunity to transport two Picabia paintings to New York. Please see: Dossin 2015: 197.
24 König, Kaspar. ‘Kaspar König: 40 Jahre Richard Artschwager – Kontinuitäten und Diskontinuitäten Laudatio auf Richard Artschwager aus Anlass der Verleihung des Roswitha-Haftmann-Preises 2007.’ roswithahaftmann-stiftung.com. 18-2-2017 http://www.roswithahaftmann-stiftung.com/de/preistraeger/2007_laudatio_ra.htm
Translation: ‘In 1965 I came to New York. I had previously worked in London and studied there, and wanted to do the same in New York. I hoped to get a part-time job from Richard Bellamy, however upon my arrival the Green Gallery was closed. His company went broke, but certainly he had the most interesting gallery at the time in New York (...).’
curators.’25 In retrospect Leering would declare that Bellamy did in fact maintain significant influence in his exhibition program.26
As per Bellamy's suggestion, Leering and König saw Flavin’s exhibition at the Kornblee Gallery in New York and thereafter went to visit Flavin at his studio.27 This encounter led to Flavin’s inclusion in the Kunst-Licht-Kunst exhibition and eventually to Flavin’s installment of the site-specific environment Green Crossing Green (Homage to Mondrian who lacked Green) in Eindhoven.28 The archival documentation of the Kunst-Licht-Kunst exhibition shows how the informative actions of both König and Bellamy were present during the organization of the exhibition. The archival correspondence illustrates the way in which Leering and König communicated with one another about the making possible of Flavin’s first trip to Europe.29 Remarkably, the name of Bruce Nauman is mentioned for the first time in this same exhibition documentation, in a
correspondence between Leering and Bellamy. In June 1966, Leering referred to a previous letter: ‘On May 10, 1966, we wrote the following letter:
“In December 1965 I talked with you about the possibilities for the exhibition Kunst-licht-Kunst (artificial light as creative tool), to be held form from September 24th till December 4th next). You named the artist Nauman in Los Anglos [Los Angeles], who you said made important work in this field. Could you send me some documentation and/ or his address? ‘ Till now we did not get any answer. Please would you be so kind as to give us any information concerning the above mentioned?”30 Interestingly enough, the date of the letter coincides with the opening of Nauman’s first one-man show at the Nicholas Wilder Gallery in Los Angeles, which was held from May 10th to June 2nd, 1966. This gallery exhibition was established just before Nauman received his Master degree in June. Nauman reflected on introducing his work on this occasion as follows: ‘(…) I hadn’t had any particular encouragement outside of the school. Nobody had even seen the work. It was strange.’31 In addition, Nauman concluded that it was through Wilder that Bellamy had seen his artworks, stating: ‘Nicholas [Wilder] had the first show and let see who came
25 Stein 2016: 236.
26 Please see: Pingen 2005: footnote 19.
27 Leering has stated: Dick Bellamy suggested me to go and see Flavin’s exhibition at the Kornblee Gallery. So, in the company of Kaspar König I did, and we made an appointment to look him up in his studio, somewhat outside New York.’ Please see: ‘Conceptinterview door Paula Feldman over Jean Leerings tentoonstellingen van Amerikaanse kunst en van constructivistische kunst; met bijlagen okt 2002’ RKD, Den Haag, Archief Jean Leering (0325), inv.nr.740.
28 Feldman 2003: 721-724.
29 It seems that the Van Abbemuseum and the Zwirner gallery in Cologne shared the cost for Flavin’s travels abroad. Letter from König to Leering. 30 June 1966. VAM Beheersarchief 1936-1979 inv.nr. 17. Leering on March 17, 1966 to Flavin: ‘As I told you already during my visit last December, we like to invite you for making such a room with light bars, as you did in the Green Gallery, last year.’ Letter from Leering to Dan Flavin, 17 March 1966. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 163.
30 Letter from Jean Leering to Dick Bellamy, 15 June 1966. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 162.
through (…) Dick Bellamy was on the West-Coast and came up and saw the work, also through Nick
[Wilder].’32 There seems to be no further documentation to contextualize this first reference to Nauman and in the end Nauman would not be included in the Kunst-Licht-Kunst exhibition. In fact, it is no longer possible to reconstruct in-depth to which works or tendencies Bellamy had referred.33
Nauman’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles in 1966 emphasized sculpture and included, among others, the following works: Untitled (Eye-level) piece (an abstract object made out of cardboard), Shelf Sinking into the Wall with Copper-Painted Plaster Casts of the Spaces Underneath (1966), (consisting of two plaster casts lying casually on the floor after they seemed to have dropped from underneath the hollows of a sloppy shelf), Platform Made Up of the Space between Two Rectilinear Boxes on the Floor (1966) (an atypical shaped platform lying on the floor), and Device to Hold a box at a Slight Angle (1966) (geometric structure made out of fiberglass). Nauman would later elaborate the reason for which he designated these illustrative titles when he stated that wanted: ‘(…) somehow to give it a reason or meaning’ and to allude to their conceptual process.34 For example, the title Platform Made Up of the Space between Two Rectilinear Boxes on the Floor (1966) promised to capture the space between two separated illusory boxes and resulted in a sculptural, oddly shaped platform, representing this negative space made out of fiberglass. The title Device to Hold a box at a Slight angle (1966) suggested to be a functional device with which bodily interaction was needed to complete its supposed function, but in fact didn’t have an actual function at all. 35 Also present in the exhibition were Nauman’s fiberglass works created between 1965 and 1966, which he made at the same time, referred in scale and in the way they lent and hung against the wall; to actions of the human body.36 What these early sculptures had in common is that they showed traces of their casting processes and emphasized unpolished and fragile materials, thereby not only subverting traditional techniques typically associated with sculpture - and the rigid manufacturing processes of minimalism - but also Nauman’s own fascination with the process of making art.
32 Kraynak ed. 2002: 250.
33 Art historian Dirk Luckow has stated that at the end of 1965, Leering and König possibly could have heard about the artists Bruce Nauman through Bellamy, Luckow elaborated: ‘Noch wahrscheinlicher ist aber ein Zeitpunkt in 1965. König befand sich regelmäßigem Austausch mit dem New Yorker Kunsthändler Dick Bellamy, der in New York die Green Gallery leitete und auch Morris vertrat. Bellamy selbst verfügte über gute kontakten zu Wilder und Wusste laut Leering schon Ende 1965 von Nauman.’ Please see: Luckow 1998: 169. 34Kraynak ed. 2002: 236. A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960’s 2007: 197.
35 Benezra, Neal. ‘Surveying Nauman’ in Bruce Nauman 1994:19. And A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960’s: 197.
The summer of 1966
Later in the summer of 1966, Nauman showed his work, Plaster Cast based on Neon-Templates (1966) in a group show organized by Bellamy at the Noah Goldowsky Gallery in New York. It was the first time that Nauman’s work had appeared in an exhibition on the East Coast.37 That same summer – as both memorized by König and Nauman - König visited Nauman on the West Coast shortly after the artist moved to San Francisco. This was the first time that Nauman was in touch with a representative from the European art world.38 König recalled that Wilder and Bellamy established his introduction to Nauman’s art, stating: ‘Bellamy introduced me to a colleague of his, Nick Wilder, and it was through him that I saw drawings of Nauman in Los Angeles [for the first time]. And subsequently I visited him in San Francisco. It became quite clear that his background was physics and contemporary music (Cage etc.)’39 König also recalled that since Nauman was nervous because his wife was expecting a child, he wanted König to stay for quite some time in his studio.40 An important contact and exchange was established. I will show later that this meeting between Nauman and König was extremely significant in terms of Nauman’s acquaintance with gallery-owner Konrad Fischer. At the same time, König remained an important facilitator for Jean Leering’s transatlantic network and exhibition program.
Information on artists working on the West-Coast: archival documentation of the Kompas exhibitions The archival documentation of the Kompas exhibitions organized between 1967 and 1969 at the Van Abbemuseum further explains how Leering became informed about artists working on the West Coast and furthermore, introduces the notion of an artistic separation between New York and California. Correspondence for the preparations of Leering’s second trip to the United States on May the 23th in 1967 for the organization of Kompas III exhibition shows that Leering relied on his New York contacts Bellamy and König to conduct groundwork for his exhibition program. Leering wrote at the end of April to both König and Bellamy and asked them to send comments in response to his provisional list of artists, mention important private and public collections in the United States, to introduce him at the mentioned collections, and to meet and organize visits together upon his arrival in New York.41 During the organization of the third Kompas exhibition, the decision was made to focus solely on New York as a coherent and artistic center, meaning that only New York galleries
37 Plagens 2014: 66. In New York in the autumn of 1966, Naman was included in the famous exhibition: ‘Eccentric Abstraction’ curated by Lucy Lippard.
38 See: Smolik. Noemi. An American in Dusseldorf. 4.08. 2011. 14-03-2017. <https://frieze.com/article/american-dusseldorf>
39 Kaspar König. Personal email to the author. 6 March 2017. 40 Kaspar König. Personal email to the author. 6 March 2017.
41 The ‘Kompas III’ exhibition started of as collaboration between Paul Wember (Haus Lange in Krefeld) and Jean Leering. Next to König and Bellamy also the Dutchman Jan van der Marck, then working at the Walker art Center in Minneapolis seemed to have been a valuable contact in the United States.’ Please see: Pingen 2003: 235. Letter from Leering to Bellamy, 24April 1967. Archief Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven VAM
were approached for cooperation and loans to the exhibition. 42 Nevertheless, Leering’s East Coast connections introduced him yet again in May of 1967 to artists working on the West Coast. König wrote, for instance, on the 9th of May 1967: ‘Mr. Bellamy has just returned from a trip to California. We came together on the weekend to exchange ideas about Kompas III. He will send you his comments shortly.’43 In addition, König introduced new names from the West-Coast: ‘Bell and McCracken both of artists from California would end this show with extremely resolved pieces,(….) I’m looking forward to your arrival in N.Y. where we will have time to discuss the collaboration in detail.’ 44 The artistic scene on the West Coast would soon become a separate focal point for the fourth Kompas exhibition for which preparations had begun in March 1968. Only one year later in April 1969, in fact, Leering would visit California for the first time.
Similarly to the preparations for the exhibitions Kunst-Licht-Kunst and Kompas III, Leering would again rely on the assistance of gallery owners and his selected group of informants for the groundwork and selection of this fourth Kompas exhibition. Besides the involvement of New York galleries such as that of Castelli, who also represented Nauman, California-based galleries were now being approached for documentation and suggestions including: Irving Blum, Nicholas Wilder, and curator John Coplans of the Pasadena Art Museum in Los Angeles.45 For example, Leering wrote on the 21st of March 1968 to Nicholas Wilder: ‘I am going around with a vague idea of making eventually a 4th Kompas-show, devoted to the
Westcoast. It would be much help to make more concrete decisions if I would have more documentary material, (except for ARTFORUM). Would it be possible for you to give me a detailed information about publications in this field?’ 46
The notion of artistic separation between New York and California is also present in the reflections of European curators, critics, and museum directors that would visit the West Coast between 1966 and 1968. For instance, König’s recollections substantiated this characterization when he stated that: ‘(…) Even
though „Artforum“ originally came from the West Coast, after it had moved to New York City it seemed to look down on the West Coast and some New York hardcore minimalists looked down upon artists like Nauman as Bay area Neo Dada.’47 Although Artforum seemed to have polarized West and East Coast artists in a competitive and negative way, American art magazines like Artforum were important for the introduction of American artists to Europeans - as Leering mentioned in his request to Wilder. Nauman, for instance, was
42 Such as: the Andre Emmerich Gallery, the Kornblee,Gallery, and the Leo Castelli Gallery. 43 Letter from Konig to Leering, 9May 1967. VAM,Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 184. 44 Letter from Konig to Leering, 9 May 1967. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 184.
45 Pingen 2005: 275. Letter from Leering to Nicholas Wilder, 26 February 1969. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 223. John Coplans curator at the Pasadena Art Museum played an important role in making a selection and introducing Leering to the area, Coplans wrote in April 1968: ‘The best thing of all would be for you to come out here. I will be pleased to render you any assistance I can and I am fairly certain that the Board of Trustees of this museum will be pleased to assist in various ways in the organization if such an exhibition. Letter from Coplans to Leering, 4 April 1968. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 223. inv.nr. 223. 46 Letter from Leering to Wilder, 21 March 1968. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 199.
included for the first time in articles that focused on the West Coast as a regional area, such as: ‘The Way-Out West: interviews with 4 San Francisco Artists’, published in the summer of 1967.
Director at the Stedelijk Museum, Edy de Wilde, commented in 1978 on the fragmented artistic landscape of the West Coast: ‘Different from New York the Californian artists live and work far from each other and more individualistically.’ 48 A letter in the archive of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam dates this
encounter with Californian artists as having taken place in May of 1968, when De Wilde wrote to John Coplans - the same Californian contact as mentioned earlier - ‘The most interesting artists I met in San Francisco are in my opinion Voulkos, Nauman and Conner.’49
Nauman himself, in fact, reflected on the different reception of East versus West Coast art in an interview following his first solo show at the Castelli Gallery in New York in February 1968. Nauman stated in The New York Times: ‘On the East Coast, you see, it’s OK to be an artist. People go to shows and collect your work. On the West Coast, no one buys art. Only artists go to openings. You get out of school and you have a studio and you sit around and drink coffee.’50
East Coast exposure: an eclectic first overview in 1968
Nauman’s first solo exhibition in New York was held at the Leo Castelli Gallery from the 27th of January until 17th of February in 1968. The exhibition catalogue lists forty-four works representing both a relatively large and eclectic overview of Nauman’s oeuvre between 1965 and 1968. The exhibition presented artworks concerned with new media such as neon, photography, and film, alongside Nauman’s device sculptures and fiberglass works previously shown at his 1966 Los Angeles exhibition. For example, his 1968 New York exhibition showed Neon Templates on the Left Half of My Body (1967), a work based on the measurement of the artist’s body, resulting in a stack of seven neon arches of varying shapes and sizes. The work itself was presented with the electrical wires and transformer still visible.51 For the neon work My Last Name Exaggerated Fourteen Times (1967) (fig.1) Nauman expanded the letters of his name to the point that they were illegible. Although minimal in form, both neon works referred to the subject of the artist, thereby rejecting pure objectivity.52 Also presented in the Castelli Gallery was Nauman’s Moore series, in which Nauman makes a reference to the
48 ‘Sep 1979, Bijdrage E. de Wilde ’ Archive Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (hereafter SMA), correspondentie directeur E. de Wilde. Year 1978, folder 2767.
49 ‘I should like to express once more my deep gratitude to you for the warm hospitality you extended to me. Whiteout your help and your willingness to show me around in Los Angeles my stay would not have been very successful. (…) Los Angeles was quite a surprise to me. The most interesting artist I met in San Francisco are in my opinion Voulkos, Nauman and Conner.’ Letter from E. de Wilde to John Coplans, May 27, 1968. Archive SMA Correspondentie directeur E. de Wilde. Year 1963-1970, folder 2754.
50 Glueck, Grace. ‘A Form (Or Two) Is Born.’ The New York Times 18. 02. 1968 51 Plagens 2014: 70.
52 A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960’s 2007:125. Bruce Nauman: Topological Gardens 2009: 70.
resentment of a younger generation of artists towards British sculptor Henry Moore. The sculpture Henry Moore Bound to Fail (1967), for instance, depicts this struggle by casting the backside of a bound torso in wax, in this way portraying the sculptor also as literally bound.53 Nauman also showed photographs that metaphorically trapped Moore’s spirit. Both Henry Moore Trap #1 and #2, depict a swirl of lines made by a flashlight in a darkroom in a time-lapse exposure resulting in a seated figure.54 Photographs of the Castelli exhibition also include other works such as a series of photographs visualizing absurd puns such as Waxing Hot (1967), in which the artist is literally waxing the letters of the word ‘HOT’, as well as Self-Portrait as A Fountain (1967), in which Nauman depicts himself as a fountain not only as a reference to Duchamp’s radical 1917 ready-made but also to his own ironic statement The True Artist Is an Amazing Luminous Fountain.55
fig. 1. Installation view of the exhibition ‘Bruce Nauman’ Leo Castelli, New York 27 January – 17 February, 1968. Source photo: Bruce Nauman 1993: 24.
53 A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960’s 2007: 49.
54 Plagens 2014: 50 and A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960’s 2007:125
55 Exhibition documentation also shows that one of Nauman’s early film works was shown at the exhibition. Please see: Brundage 1994: n.p.
Documenting the Documenta: the Van Abbemuseum archive as source
In the Summer of 1966, Professor Arnold Bode - Founder of Documenta and exhibition manager of exhibitions I, II, III and IV – together with Heinrich Stünke, a member of the Organizing Committee, asked Leering to take part in the Documenta-Rat by becoming one of its twenty-five members. After the death of Albert Schulze Vellinghausen (Head of the Painting Committee) and the sudden death of his successor Arnold Rüdlinger (Director Kunsthalle Basel), Leering himself became Chief of the Painting Committee (Arbeitsausschuss Malerei), the selector of American sculpture, and a participant in the Arbeitsausschuss Ambiente section of 1967.56 As a result, Leering was suddenly faced with the organization of the American selection at Documenta 4. This established the opportunity for Leering to make his third trip to New York from December 4-22,1967.57
The archival documentation of the fourth Documenta available at the Van Abbemuseum offers insight into the American selection procedure. A report written on the 8th of January 1968, for instance, entitled ‘Bericht über die Reise nach USA der Herren Leering, Stünke und Vowinckel vom 5. bis 20. Dezember 1967 (Leering bis 22.12.67). Auswahl für die Ausstellung: documenta IV’ adequately sums up which galleries and artist studios were visited for the provisional selection of seventy American artists. A report by Leering made in February of 1968 sheds light on his selection process, showing that many artworks were included in the event through the help of New York art dealers. Both documents give an overview of Documenta’s mediating partners in New York and it becomes clear that throughout the organizational arrangements of the Documenta Leering would rely on the assistance and information of American galleries; most of which were often already part of his own New York network. 58
A large fraction of the twenty-one studio visits made in December of 1967 were based on Leering’s various contacts and selection of American artists through his own exhibition program at the Van
Abbemuseum.59 In addition to these reports, the extensive correspondence maintained between January and May emphasizes the involvement of American art dealers as negotiators, agents, and advisors regarding the American selection. Among others, these figures included John Weber and Virginia Dwan of the Dwan Gallery,
56 Pingen 2005: 267.
57 Leering was accompanied by his fellow council members Hein Stünke and Andreas Vowinckel.
58 ‘Bericht über die Reise nach USA der Herren Leering, Stünke und Vowinckel vom 5. bis 20. Dezember 1967 (Leering bis 22.12.67). Auswahl für die Ausstellung: documenta IV’ VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 196.
59 Leering had already encountered: Chryssa, Dan Flavin and Ben Berns during the organization of the ‘Kunst-Licht-Kunst’ exhibition. Artists: Arakawa, Christo, Indiana had a solo show at the Van Abbemuseum in 1966. The artists: Larry Poons, Barnett Newman, Claes Oldenburg, Roy Lichtenstein, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Morris and George Segal were previously selected for the ‘Kompas III’ exhibition. However, in 1967 there were also some new encounters: Richard Anuszkiewicz, Bill Jenssen, Mark Di Suvero (studio visit together with Bellamy), Ronald Bladen (studio visit together with Fischbach), Hans Haacke, Brice Marden, Michael Steiner and Tom Wesselmann.’ ‘Bericht über die Reise nach USA der Herren Leering, Stünke und Vowinckel vom 5. bis 20. Dezember 1967 (Leering bis 22.12.67). Auswahl für die Ausstellung: documenta IV’ VAM
Arnold Glimcher of Pace Gallery, Dick Bellamy of Noah Goldowsky Gallery, Leo Castelli of Leo Castelli Gallery, Donald Droll of Fischbach Gallery, Sidney Janis of the Sidney Janis Gallery, Robert Elkon of Robert Elkon Gallery, and André Emmerich of André Emmerich Gallery. 60
The report ‘Bericht über die Reise nach USA’ places Leo Castelli in New York on the 21st of December as a ‘Gesprächspartner’ for Nauman’s selection. This document states that: “Castelli hat Leering, Nauman für documenta vorgeschlagen (Ausstellung im Februar 1968 bei Castelli). Castelli schickt Fotos und Unterlagen. Anfragen und Informationen durch Castelli bzw. Leering. Nauman soll vorgeschlagen werden.”61 Leering has retrospectively emphasized in several interviews that he had the privilege to see a shipment of works for Nauman’s first exhibition at Leo Castelli gallery in a depot owned by art collector Philip Johnson in New York.62 Leering concluded that the newest of the new should be part of the Documenta selection, of which Nauman was seen as a valuable representation. Besides, Nauman’s name had already been mentioned by Bellamy during the preparations of the Kunst-Licht-Kunst exhibition in 1966.63 Leering decided that Nauman indeed must be included in Documenta 4.
Several interviews, one anecdote
When analyzing several interviews with Leering having taken place between 1973 and 2003 concerning the American art selection at the fourth Documenta, it is remarkable that one anecdote related to Nauman’s introduction on the Documenta constantly resurfaces. This particular anecdote explains that during the Documenta-Rat meeting in which the selection of Documenta artworks had to be finalized, the majority of the Documenta council seemed against Nauman’s inclusion.64 Leering considered this statement a breaking point.65
60 Please see all the correspondence in: VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 199.
61 ‘Bericht über die Reise nach USA der Herren Leering, Stünke und Vowinckel vom 5. bis 20. Dezember 1967 (Leering bis 22.12.67). Auswahl für die Ausstellung: documenta IV’ VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 196.
62 Leering emphasized in a German interview in 1991 the following: ‘ Im Januar 1968 war Nauman überhaupt das erste Mal an der Ostküste gezeigt bei Leo Castelli. Ich hatte bereits längere Zeit von ihm gehört. Ich habe dann die Werke im Depot von Philip Johnson gesehen. Ich war sehr enthusiastisch darüber, auch beeinflusst durch einen Mann wie Dick Bellamy. Der eigentlich von der Westküste an die Ostküste gekommen war. Dann habe ich sehr dafür plädiert als das >Neueste von Neuen, das auch in der documenta zu zeigen.’ See: Luckow 1998: 161.
63 Luckow 1998: 161.
64 Luckow 1998: 161. Berndes 1999: 71
65 In an unpublished interview between Jean Leering and Hans Janssen, Leering responded: ‘(…). Eind ’67 lag de keuze vast en begin ’68 werd de uiteindelijke afstemming gemaakt. Bruce Nauman bijvoorbeeld was een breekpunt omdat er door te krijgen heb ik ze wel onder druk moeten zetten. Daar kwam bij dat ik had kunnen regelen dat het transport van haven New York naar haven Hamburg gratis was, via een regeling met de Atlantic Container Line. Die zaten in Stockholm, in Amsterdam en in Rotterdam. Zo konden Pontus Hulten, Sandberg en de Wilde ervan gebruik maken.’ Concept interview door Hans Janssen met aantekeningen van Jean Leering over Daan van Golden en zijn presentatie tijdens de Documenta in 1968;met bijlage jan 2003 RKD, Den Haag, Archief Jean Leering (0325), inv.nr.739.
In a Dutch interview with art historian Diana Franssen in 1999 he emphasized that he felt responsible for a newer tendency, to the point that he even threatened to withdraw from the Documenta-Rat should Nauman be excluded. Leering explained in 1999 that ‘In de beslissende documentaraad vergadering haalde hij bij de eerste stemming echter geen meerderheid. Maar voor mij was zijn vertegenwoordiging een kardinaal punt, waaraan ik mijn verdere inzet bij de ‘documenta’ als voorwaarde verbond. Hij kwam er!’66 In the catalogue for the fourth Documenta, Leering explains his enthusiasm for Nauman’s work from a formalistic point of view, particularly pointing out Nauman’s new approach to materiality.67 Furthermore, in a 1973 interview with Hein Reedijk in the Dutch magazine Museum Journal, he stated that he saw the work Neon Templates on the Left Half of My Body (1966) as a reaction against the objectivity of Minimal art.68
Procedures and agreements in 1968
Exploring the documentation of the American art selection for the Documenta 4 provides insights regarding the exchange of information between galleries, Leering, and the Documenta-Rat. On the first of March 1968, Nicholas Wilder wrote in response to one of Leering’s previous letters (no longer part of the archive): ‘I was delighted to hear from Leo Castelli of your intention to include Bruce Nauman and Ron Davis in the
Documenta. (…). The selection of specific works for Nauman and Davis will be arranged through Leo in that Nauman is doing some specific works for your show while Davis’ will come from my show last fall and I never know what to anticipate from Nauman.’69 The agreement of Nauman installing specific works for the event does not appear in further archival documentation. 70
Requesting information about American trends remains a recurring pattern. For example, Leering wrote to Wilder on March 21: ‘(…) It would be fine, if we would receive catalogues, photographs, and further
documentation on Nauman and Ron Davis for making a selection. (I have Leo’s Nauman-catalogue). And
66 Translation quote: ‘In the decisive Documenta Rat meeting, he didn’t get the majority of votes. However to me his presence was of cardinal importance, I threatened to withdraw if Nauman was excluded. He was included in the end!’ Berndes 1999: 71.
67 4. documenta Katalog 1 1968: XIX.
68Reedijk 1973: 155. The Documenta-Rat Protocol of the 19 th of January 1968 indeed stated: ‘Den
Empfehlungen des USA-Komitees folgt der Rat bei: Artschwager, Bladen, Di Suvero, Diller, Naumann, Sol LeWitt. See: ‘Der Sitzung des Documenta Rates am 19.1.1968.’ VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989. inv.nr. 196.
69Letter from Wilder to Leering, 1 March 1968. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv. nr. 199. 70 In this same letter Wilder also introduces James Turrell and John McCracken for a possible last-minute inclusions in the Documenta selection, referring to the possibility of combining their European tours with the event in Kassel, Wilder stated: ‘Fortunately no shipping problem is involved with his work for he carries the projectors with him and Rudolf [Zwirner] intends to have him flown to Cologne in early June. He is even considering designing some pieces while in Germany to take advantage of technical opportunities open to him there.’ And concerning McCracken, Wilder wrote: (…)‘McCracken is also showing at Ileana’s this May and plans to be in Europe during that show and would be available to help with any necessary installation.’ Letter from Wilder to Leering, 1 March 1968. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 199.
Leering requests further information: ‘I fear James Turrell, John McCracken will not be shown in Kassel this time. We also must spare artists for the 5th Documenta! Personally I do not know the work of Turell; do you have some documentation? Anyhow we will see it at Zwirner’s in June.’71 On that same date in March 1968, Leering also wrote to Bellamy: ‘(…) I am sorry for Michael Steiner, but a.o. by financial reasons we had to make a choice, and I am quite happy that Jo Bear, Walter de Maria, Bruce Nauman etc. came through. One serious question: could you give me your opinion about Robert Irwin? I cannot judge for I saw one picture.’72
Inviting the artist to the exhibition space seems highly important when analyzing the correspondence between John Weber (Dwan Gallery) and the Documenta-Rat. The ability of artists to install their own artworks on site seemed to have been the most important condition for their inclusion in the event. Artists such as Flavin, LeWitt, and Andre, for instance, often combined inspecting the site in Kassel with their participation in other European shows, such as the group exhibition Minimal art held at The Gemeentemuseum in The Hague in March, 1968.
Installation agreements for the artists are often arranged through their gallery, as evidenced by a letter from John Weber to Documenta secretary Jürgen Harten, in which Weber states that: ‘As you already been advised, Mr. Carl Andre will be in the Netherlands during the month of March and will pay a visit to Kassel to look over the proposed site for his large outdoor sculpture.’ (…) ‘I would suggest that the Documenta be responsible for his return to Germany, perhaps in early June, to construct the piece.’ (…) ‘ I have not as yet had chance to show your plans to Mr. Flavin, but I anticipate no problem here as he will be in Germany in March and will be meeting with the electrical consultant and looking over the various rooms. (…) it will not be possible to exhibit ‘Roxy’s’ unless Kienholz comes over to set it up. (…) It is really quite important, though, that Kienholz, like the other artists, be there to set up this piece, as without his being there the work will not be a reality.’73 Art historian Sophie Richard has also explained that: ‘Documenta 4 coincided with solo exhibitions of American Conceptual artists in Europe. Dealers took advantage of the artists visiting Europe to arrange
showings in their gallery.’74 Selection Nauman
Castelli facilitated the Documenta for the following artists: Artschwager, Davis, Higgins, Johns, Judd,
Lichtenstein, Morris, Nauman, Poons, Rauschenberg. Rosenquist, Stella, and Warhol.75 The selection process of Nauman’s works can be pieced together through the correspondence between Leering and Castelli. It becomes
71 Letter from Leering to Wilder, 21 March 1968. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 199. 72 Letter from Leering to Bellamy, 21 March 1968. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 199. 73 A letter from John Weber to Jürgen Harten, documenta secretary 23 February 1968. VAM
Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 199. 74 Richard 2009:74.
75 See: ‘Bericht über die Reise nach USA der Herren Leering, Stünke und Vowinckel vom 5. bis 20. Dezember 1967 (Leering bis 22.12.67). Auswahl für die Ausstellung: documenta IV’ VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 196.
clear that the works included in the Documenta catalogue are selected from Nauman’s first solo show at the Leo Castelli Gallery in 1968. In fact, Castelli wrote somewhere between March and April: ‘enclosed please find the catalogue of Bruce Nauman. Works that have been circled are the choices for the exhibition. The only
photographs other than the ones in the catalogue which are available are enclosed.’76 The selection of numbers in this letter, which include 10, 13, 16, 18, 22, 28, 35, 38, and 42, correspond with the numbers in Nauman’s Castelli catalogue. If we compare these works with the works listed in the Documenta catalogue only the numbers: 18, Abstraction Based on the ‘Self Sinking into the Wall with Casts, 16, Untiteld 1965, a work made out of latex and rubber and 28: Impressions of the Knees of Five Famous Artists (1966), are excluded from the final Documenta catalogue selection.
Leering wrote to Castelli on April 11, 1968: “ I agree with your choice, I wonder however if Nr. 18 could be changed in Nr. 17, Nr. 28 into Nr. 26 and Nr. 38 into Nr. 40,”77 meaning that Leering preferred to show Shelf Sinking into the Wall with Copper Painted Plaster Casts of the Space Underneath (no. 17, 1966), Neon Templates of the Left Half of My Body Taken at Ten Inch Intervals (no. 26, 1966), and Composite Photo of Two Messes on the Studio Floor (no. 40, 1967) rather than Abstraction Based on the ‘Self Sinking into the Wall with Casts (1966), Impressions of the Knees of Five Famous Artists (1966), and Henry Moore Trap # 2 (1967). It seems, however, that only a selected group of works was available. On April 24th, Castelli wrote Jürgen Harten, Documenta secretary, the following: ‘Mr. Leering had asked me for a few substitutions. I tried to satisfy him, but I was not successful. Therefore the following numbers in my Nauman catalogue are the ones that are definitely available: 10, 13, 18, 22, 35, 38 (loan forms enclosed) and 42.’78 Apart from number 18, these numbers all correspond with the artworks mentioned in the catalogue. In the end, the catalogue for the fourth Documenta listed the following six works: Untitled, fiberglass, (1965). Untitled, (1966), Device to Hold a Box at a slight Angle, (1966), My Last Name Exaggerated Fourteen Times Vertically (1967), Henry Moore Trap nr. 2 (1967) and Henry Moore, bound to Fail (1967).79
76 ‘Artists (and their works) to participate in Documenta IV exhibition, represented by Leo Castelli Gallery.’, date unknown. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv. 199.
77 Letter from Leering to Castelli, 11 April 1968. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 199. 78 Letter from Castelli to Jürgen Harten. 24 April 1968. VAM Tentoonstellingsarchief 1936-1989 inv.nr. 199. These numbers correspond with the following artworks: 10. Untitled. 1965. Fiberglass, 96 x 28 x 18 inch Nicholas Wilder. 13. Untiteld. 1965. Latex rubber with cloth backing, 72 x 15 x 2 inch Nicholas Wilder Gallery. 18. Abstraction Based on the ‘Self Sinking into the Wall with Casts. 1966. Fiberglass, 90’ x 12 x 12 inch Charles Cowles. 22. Device to Hold a Box at a Slight Angle 1966. Fiberglass, 37 x 26 x 20 inch Nicholas Wilder. 35. Henry Moore Bound to Fail, (back view).1967. Wax over plaster ( 26 x 24 x3 ½ inch) Collection: Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Helman. 38. Henry Moore Trap #2.1967, Photograph. Collection Leo Castelli. 42. My Last Name Exaggerated Fourteen Times Vertically. 1967, neon tubing. Collection: Philip Johnson. Please see: Bruce Nauman 1968: unnumbered pages.
79 Originally listed in the Documenta catalogue as: 1. Untitled 1965. (gewelltes Fiberglas), 224 x 71 x 46 cm, Nicholas Wilder Gallery Los Angeles. 2. Untitled. 1966 (Latex-Gummi mit Stoff), 183 x 38 x 5 cm, Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles. 3. Device to Hold a Box at a Slight Angle, 1966, 94 x 66x 73 cm, David Withney, New York. 4. My Last Name Exaggerated Fourteen Times Vertically, 1967. Neonröhren. 160 x 84 cm. Philip Johnson, New York. 5. Henry Moore Trap Nr. 2. 1967. Photographien. 170 x 120 cm. Leo Castelli Gallery,
The Documenta a chaotic event:
The fourth Documenta opened in Kassel five days after the Venice Biennale, on June 27th, 1968. In Venice, students –among others - had been protesting the Biennale because they considered the event a capitalist and largely commercial venture which lacked true social engagement. Their protest slogan was described in the German press as ‘die biennale ist nicht Kultur, die biennale ist ein Geschäft’80 As a result, the Venice Biennale could only open under police protection.81 Although far less escalated than the 1968 Biennale debates, criticism towards the political and organizational structure of the Documenta played a major role from the beginning of the event onwards. Moreover, it is important to consider these two events within the context of a politically charged era of social unrest. Headlines in the year of 1968 appearing in the months leading up to these exhibitions were marked by the Prague Spring, the Vietnam war, emergency laws, and student revolts. At the same time in the artworld, established exhibition institutions were being called into question.82 In this framework the Documenta 4 exhibition catalogue opened with a statement of organizer Arnold Bode: ‘This Documenta does not belong to the Establishment either - in our opinion. Its importance is probably due to the fact that it does not exist as an established institution.’83 Nevertheless, when analyzing the reception
documentation of the fourth Documenta, four critical reflections constantly reappear.84In fact, after carrying out archival research on the ways in which the fourth Documenta had been historicized since 1968, art historian Martin Engler concluded the following: ‘In fact, the entire exhibition (…) seems, unjustly, to have gone down in art history less for its themes and its art than for the (art-) political flak and debates that started up during the run-up.’85 Looking indeed closer at the reception history, archival documentation of the fourth Documenta found at the Van Abbemuseum, and several interviews with Jean Leering, one can conclude that the critique on the chaotic organizational structure of the event has overshadowed the individual positions of the included artworks.
New York. 6. Henry Moore, Bound to Fall, Rückseite 1967. Wachs auf Gips, 66 x 61 x 9 cm. Mr. und Mrs. Joseph Helman, St. Louis. See: 4. Documenta: 206-207. In addition numbers 1. & 2. in the 4. Documenta catalogue correspond with the following works in in the Castelli Catalogue: 10. Untitled, 1965. Fiberglass, 96’ x 28’ x18 inch. Collection Nicolas Wilder. 13. Untitled, 1965-1966. Latex rubber with cloth backing 72’ x 15’ x 2’ inch (approx.) Collection: Nicholas Wilder Gallery. Please see: Bruce Nauman 1968: unnumbered pages. 80 Jappe, Georg. ‘Die kühlste documenta, die es je gab. Schafft die Askese des Künstlers eine Konsumkunst?’ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 06.07. 1968.
Translation: ‘The biennale is not culture, the biennale is a business'
81 Engler. Martin. ‘Twilight of the Gods. Documenta in Times of Change.’ In: 50 years documenta 1955-2005 2005: 238.
82 50 years documenta 1955-2005 2005: 109, 232.
83 As translated in 50 years documenta 1955-2005 2005: 232.
84 I analysed press clippings of the fourth Documenta that can be consulted online at the Documenta archiv Mediencluster and in addition I consulted all the press clippings within Jean Leerings personal archive now housed at the RKD. See: Mediencluster, dokumenta archive. documentaarchiv.de. 05-03-2017
<http://www.documentaarchiv.de/mediencluster/ueber-diese-datenbank.html> and RKD, Den Haag, Archief Jean Leering (0325), inv.nr.710.
