EXHIBITION AT HARVARD'S BUSCH-REISINGER MUSEUM ASKS: WHEN IS AN OBJECT A SCULPTURE?

Objects Made by Five German Artists from the '60s Onward Emphasize the Physical, Social, and Political Context of the Production and Consumption of Art

CAMBRIDGE, MA (October 6, 2004)-An exhibition just opened by the Harvard University Art Museums is presenting rarely seen works made by five West German artists from the 1960s onward. Dependent Objects, at the Busch-Reisinger Museum through January 2, 2005, demonstrates how the artists-Franz Erhard Walther, Hans Haacke, Charlotte Posenenske, Gerhard Richter, and Thomas Schütte-challenged traditional notions of sculpture by showing that art objects have properties that can be associated with both commodities and artworks, and that their status or use depends on their context.

The five artists share an ambivalence toward sculpture. They are critical of the idea that a sculpture is a precious object on a pedestal, but they do believe that some aspects of art, even conceptual art, can be experienced only through the material object. In the 1960s, rather than rejecting traditional art completely, they proposed a redefinition of its consumption. Incorporating a range of techniques, such as printmaking, drawing, photography, and sculpture, and materials ranging from muslin to steel, they searched for new forms that would reflect a sculpture's dependence on its physical, social, and political environment. They asked whether sculptural objects are useful, and if so, in what way.

"The experimental direction these West German artists took is especially noteworthy, considering that many established artists of the period were focusing on more common genres, such as painting," said Thomas W. Lentz, Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director of the Harvard University Art Museums. "We are obviously proud to present a focused exhibition of this caliber, and prouder still that it was organized by a curatorial intern with full support from curators and staff. This is part of the Art Museums' mission to students, scholars, and the general community."

German artists of the postwar period, reacting to the tight controls of the National Socialist period, were skeptical of any institutional authority-including that of museums. In the heated political climate of the 1960s they assumed there was a link between political and artistic progressiveness. One way of expanding artistic freedom, they felt, was to allow the viewer to participate in the production of their art, sometimes by moving or rearranging elements the artist had created. Sometimes the artists themselves kept reinventing their works.

"Many of the original pieces, made between 1965 and 1992, are still being rearranged, reconstructed, and refurbished by the artists," said Kirsten Weiss, organizer of the exhibition and 2003-2005 Michalke Curatorial Intern at the Busch-Reisinger. "Some were made especially for this exhibition. The objects are transitory, defying closure, and their status remains unresolved even after they've been exhibited." For this exhibition, Haacke reproduced an object from his Wave series-a long, flat acrylic container with liquid in it, suspended from the ceiling-to give viewers the opportunity to handle the object and create the undulating movement that gives it its name. Likewise, Walther, adding to his objects from the period 1963-69, reproduced Arm Piece and Head Body Limbs-two objects made of cloth-so that viewers could activate or "use" them.

A complimentary 12-page color brochure with an essay on the artists and their works is available to visitors of the exhibition.

Artists in the Exhibition

Franz Erhard Walther (b. 1939) produced the series First Workset between 1963 and 1969 in Düsseldorf and New York. Its 58 fabric objects, in an edition of eight, are intended to be "activated" (Walther's words) by viewers; the artwork is fully realized only when the viewer participates. But Walther did not think of his work as props for performance. Rather, he considered each user's body and gestures in connection with the object as sculptural. Walther's works reflect the artist's and audience's interest in collaborative activities and communication prompted by his artworks.

Hans Haacke (b. 1936) was loosely affiliated with the Zero Group, artists interested in the use of light and motion, and active in Düsseldorf from the late 1950s until 1966. Both Condensation Cube, 1963, and Wave, a copy of a 1964 piece, are works of a type that Haacke described as "real-time systems." His interest in systems early in his career led him to experiment with techniques associated with empirical positivism, which fostered a belief in the superiority of the scientific method over faith or intuition. Haacke's acrylic and liquid objects dating from 1962-69 are often designed to be manipulated by the viewer directly or indirectly, reflecting his aim of pulling the art object "off the altar." Haacke has become well known for the overtly political content of his work since the late 1960s, when he turned to working with what he called "social systems."

Charlotte Posenenske (1930-1985) made a rapid transition from painting to objects during the 1960s, striving to produce works that were "decreasingly recognizable as 'artworks.'" After painting and stage design, she moved into sculpture via what she called "sculptural images," which consisted of creased paper or tape attached to a flat support, usually paper, cardboard, or sheet aluminum. Posenenske's late sculptures were made in multiple editions and were never signed. In 1967 and 1968, the last two years of her artistic career, she simply provided the material to form objects that could be altered and rearranged by the "consumer." In 1968 Posenenske came to the conclusion that "art could not contribute to the solution of urgent social problems" and ended her artistic career in order to become a sociologist.

Gerhard Richter (b. 1932) is best known for his painting, although throughout his career he has also produced numerous editions of prints and small objects, as well as large-scale freestanding and wall-mounted sculptures. His concern with everyday surroundings and objects and with their remoteness from art objects is reflected in the print portfolio 9 Objects, 1969, which raises the question of the artificiality or foreignness of a sculptural object-not only to its environment, but also to its viewers, who might have widely differing notions of the legitimacy of contemporary art and its relevance to their everyday life.

Thomas Schütte (b. 1954), the youngest of the artists represented in this exhibition, is a student of Richter's who, especially in the early years of his career, provided enlightening and sometimes amusing commentaries on the issues addressed by the other four. His Red Garland, 1979, is part of a group of objects produced between 1977 and 1980 in which Schütte explicitly reworked artistic positions from the 1960s and 1970s. Made of soft fabric, Red Garland looks different in each setting. The work is installed according to the artist's instructions, but is at the same time moveable and adjustable to chosen sites.

Gallery Talks
Busch-Reisinger Museum
Free admission

Saturday, October 16, 11:30 a.m.
Laura Muir, Charles C. Cunningham, Sr., Assistant Curator

Saturday, November 20, 11:30 a.m.
Celka Straughn, 2004-2006 Stefan Engelhorn Curatorial Intern

Saturday, December 4, 11:30 a.m.
Lisa Lee, curatorial assistant

Saturday, December 18, 11:30 a.m.
Peter Nisbet, Daimler-Benz Curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum

M. Victor Leventritt Lecture
From Object to Context
Tuesday, October 26, 6:00 p.m.
Arthur M. Sackler Museum, lecture hall
Free admission

This event will feature two artists represented in the exhibition Dependent Objects. Hans Haacke (b. 1936) and Thomas Schütte (b. 1954), West German artists of different generations, will discuss the considerations and concepts that went into the production of their sculptures in the exhibition. While the ethos of the 1960s led many artists and critics to reject the precious sculptural object, others continued to produce objects that emphasized the physical, social, and political context of production and display. Haacke's entire career has been marked by the concern for the active involvement of the public in his work; Schütte's works from the late 1970s reflect his humorous engagement with earlier conceptual art as well as his interest in the artwork's environment and potential use.

A moderated discussion will follow.

About the Harvard University Art Museums
The Harvard University Art Museums are one of the world's leading arts institutions, with the Arthur M. Sackler, Busch-Reisinger, and Fogg art museums, the Straus Center for Conservation, and the U.S. headquarters for the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, an excavation project in western Turkey.

The Harvard University Art Museums are distinguished by the range and depth of their collections, their groundbreaking exhibitions, and the original research of their staff. As an integral part of the Harvard community, the three art museums serve as a resource for all students, adding a special dimension to their areas of study. The public is welcome to experience the collections and exhibitions as well as to enjoy lectures, symposia, and other programs.

For more than a century, the Harvard University Art Museums have been the nation's premier training ground for museum professionals and scholars and are renowned for their role in the development of the discipline of art history in this country.

Location and Hours
The Fogg Art Museum and the Busch-Reisinger Museum are located at 32 Quincy Street in Cambridge. The Arthur M. Sackler Museum is located next door at 485 Broadway. Each Museum is a short walk from the Harvard Square MBTA station.

Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 1 - 5 p.m.; the Museums are closed on national holidays. Admission is $6.50; $5 for seniors; $5 for students; and free for those under 18 years of age. The Museums are free to everyone Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. - noon. The Harvard University Art Museums receive support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. More detailed information is available at 617-495-9400 or on the Internet at www.artmuseums.harvard.edu.

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For more information on this appointment or the Harvard University Art Museums, please contact:

Matthew Barone
Harvard University Art Museums
tel 617-495-2397; fax 617-496-9762
mbarone@fas.harvard.edu

or

Kim Gilbert/Casey Barber
Resnicow Schroeder Associates
tel 212-671-5157; fax 212-595-8354
kgilbert@resnicowschroeder.com
cbarber@resnicowschroeder.com