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ART CENTERS AND PERIPHERAL ART [A LECTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURG, OCTOBER 15, 1982] nicos hadjinicolaou

The title of my talk is “Art Centers and Peripheral Art.” The subject to which I have assigned this title touches several aspects of our discipline. I would briefl y like to raise several questions which have led me to the discussion of this topic.

1. Naturally, the most important, most complicated question for us art historians, but I believe also for historians in general—a problem, by the way, which we shall never “solve,” but answer differently depend- ing on our points of view—is the following: how and why does form change?1 Which available tools or means make it possible for art histori- ans to capture these changes? I think that the point I am hinting at here with “art centers and peripheral art” touches on this question: in the relationship of center and periphery, in the effect of an art center, and in the dissemination of its production to the periphery. In inundating and overpowering the art production of the periphery, the is also being made.2

1 This has been, no doubt, the central question at least of German-language since the end of the (Heinrich Wölffl in, August Schmarsow, Alois Riegl). 2 This, too, cannot be emphasized enough. The history of art is created from (among other factors) the (unequal) interrelationship of periphery and center. Just as misleading as it is to want to understand a history of art only from the point of view of the center (even if it is done with cultivated impassiveness), it would be exactly as misleading to understand the history of art as a static juxtaposition of center and periphery. However, what is being

© 2020 arTmargins and the massachusetts institute of Technology https://doi.org/10.1162/artm_a_00267 119 120 artmargins 9:2 sense, asIformulateditpolemicallyinthetitleofmypresentation? is artproducedintheperipheryalsoaperipheralart, derogatory 5. Whichpresentsuswiththefifth question,formulatedinthisway: art productionofthepowerfulcenter. to, and/ortheaccommodationof,artproductioninperipheryto tionship between periphery and center: it is the question of the 4. Thefourthquestionisalreadyasked,bymentioninganunequalrela- into theperiphery? of thefrequentlypowerfulpenetrationartproductionacenter sis oftheunequalrelationshipcenterandperiphery, theconsideration same objective,whichiscapturing,grasping,thecourseofhistory. continuity, tosearchalsointheotherdirection,orderarriveat ity alongsideattemptstoaccesshistorybymeansofstudyinghistorical in evolutionism). tion ofhistoricaldevelopment(whichdoesnotabsolutelyhavetoresult problem ofdiscontinuityinhistory, forus,inthehistoryofart. 3. Athirdquestion,verycloselyconnectedwiththeearlierones: art geography.” one thatcouldbedesignatedwiththetroublesomeexpression“political account whichhasreceivedtoolittleconsiderationuntilnow, namely of artgeographyinthesensethatadimensionshouldbetakeninto 3 phy: peripheryandcenter, aretheynotalsogeographicalterms? 2. Asecondquestionthatarisesfromthissubjectisofartgeogra- Purely morphologically speaking,theglobedoesnot havea“natural” “center” onitssurface. “Geographical terms” inthe senseofapolitically, sociohistoricallyorientedgeography. ness ofsuchachangeinperspective. plead foritneverthelessandconvinceat leastafewindividualresearchersofthefruitful- don thepointofviewcenter. Thatissomething wecannotreallyexpect.Onecould all todemandofinstitutionsorinstitutionalized arthistoryofthecenterthattheywillaban- of theperiphery. Onecould,ofcourse,posethequestion ofwhetheritmakesanysenseat change theperspectiveandwillalsoobserve historicaldevelopmentsfromthepointofview pleaded forhereisthatwewilloneday(until thedesiredlargersynthesesbecomepossible) Viewed etymologically, theperipherymaybeafringesubject, And whatwouldoffer aneasieraccesstothismatterthantheanaly- I thinkthatitwouldbehelpfultoconsiderthecasesofdiscontinu- I saidthatanarthistorianisconstantlyconfrontedwiththeques- It isthepurposeofmytalktopleadforarevivalandreorientation

resistance 3 Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded expression ofmentally impairedadultsoras “nice” folkart. is simplyinferiorand,atbest, couldbeviewedfavorablyastheartistic one entity)thateverythingwhich isproducedoutsideoftheseregions United StatesandinEurope(here, theWest andEastareunderstood as to touchonthefollowingfact, namelytheprevailingconvictionin American centrism. problem ofEurocentrism,orperhapsmorecorrectly, thatofEuro- 6. Asixthproblem,whichbelongsinthiscontext,isundoubtedly the province. eign ministers,becauseAfrica,aseverybodyknows,isaEuropean in thederogatorysense.Naturally, thatdefinitelyincludesAfricanfor any glamor, thatwhich isrelativelyinsignificant,second-rate,provincial eral isthatwhichhasnosplendorand,therefore,doesnot contribute Without doubt,thederogatorysenseofperipheralisclearhere:periph- ernment, “toplaytheoldGenscher,” DerSpiegelwrote: and inspiteofhisreappointmentasForeign MinisterintheKohlgov- of theWest German Foreign Minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, after Hamburg fourdaysagoprovidedmewithadditionalevidence. this doublemeaning,andmyreadingofDerSpiegelafter myarrivalin viewed asinferior. Itisveryobviousthatthewordperipheraldoeshave free ofanothermeaning:thatwhichwaslocatedatthefringesalso judgment isexpressedforthetimebeing.Still,wordhasneverbeen peripheral isthatwhichlocatedatthefringes,uponnovalue Can weapplytheoldrelationship ofcapital(ormetropolis) and When Italkaboutartcentersandperipheral,wouldalsolike was adinnerwithsixAfricanforeignministers. do notcontributeanysplendor, andwerecanceledforthisreason, would havetoberejectedorcanceled.Amongthethingswhich Fischer. “Peripheral schedules,”Genscher instructshisdiplomats, can George Shultz,China’s Huang Hua, andEastBerlin’s Oskar ministers inthirty-sixhours—amongthemGromyko, theAmeri- in Genscher styleandwithoutanyspecialeffort, sixteenforeign respects intheglareofTVfloodlights.Thisishowhemanages, Plaza Hotel,hisfacebrightensupassoonacolleaguepays On thecouchinMaisonette Suite onthe29thfloorofUN In anarticleintheeditionfromOctober11,1982,aboutefforts - 121

hadjinicolaou | art centers and peripheral art Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded 122 artmargins 9:2 4 province tothisworlddimension? with thewordsforcedreceptionandsuggested. by theliteratureaboutreceptiontheoryandwhichIwould designate contains twoaspectswhich,asfarIknow, haveremainedunnoticed appropriation process),thisphenomenonveryoften, thoughnotalways, interest groups(whilsttherulingclasseshavedecisive word inthis rather likeastrugglefortheappropriationofartisticproductsbyvarious and whatfromamacroscopicsupra-individualperspectivelooks describe withthewordreception,whichsometimessoundstoopassive relationship ofcenter-periphery canbeusefulandproductive.Whatwe themselves, thisishardlysurprising. images aresimplyignoredassociohistoricalcomponentsofthe ing traditionlookslikeinsidethediscipline,wherebeholdersof the possiblemodelsofreceptionhistory. Ifweconsiderwhattheprevail- yet byalongshotmadeuseoftheapproachesreceptiontheoryand ment ofarthistoryasadiscipline.Becauseinhistory, wehavenot reception willplayagroundbreakingroleinthefuturefordevelop- appears tohavesomewhatebbedaway. almost achievedthestatusoffashionvocabulary. Today, theflood in thestudyofliterature.Receptiontheoryandreceptionhistoryhave many thoughtsaboutthereceptionofartandliterature,particularly art reception.Duringthepastfifteen years,wehaveentertainedvery 7. Finally, aseventhquestion,whichoriginateswiththeproblemsof Normandy inthesecondhalfof19thcentury? the Mark Brandenburg(Margraviate ofBrandenburg)orParis for United StatesareforAfricaorLatinAmericathatwhichBerlinwas London, 1800–1830(Oxford:Clarendon Press,1974). see Trevor Fawcett, TheRiseofEnglishProvincial Art—Artists,Patrons and Institutionsoutside provincial. Asanexampleofanaivemetropolitan approachtoartintheEnglishprovinces, ably afundamentalconditionforthemiddle-class oruppermiddle-classcontemptofthe London, 1962],9).Thisimplicitidentification of“petty-bourgeois” and“provincial” isprob- it islyricalandachievesavisionaryintensity” (Provincialism[TheEnglishAssociation: tics ofapositiveandindependentprovincial art:ittellsastory; ittakespleasureinthefacts; nition ofthecharacteristicsprovincial art:“These,then,seemtomebethecharacteris- province. Theembodimentofmetropolitan arroganceisprobablySir Kenneth Clark’s defi- here alsoaimsatareassessmentoftherelationshipprovince-metropolisinfavor ofthe places ofmetropolitanartcritiquethe19thand20thcentury. Inacertainsense,myplea As everybodyknows,thecontemptforprovincebelongstotraditionalcommon - At thispoint,Ibelievethattheformulationofproblem I amconvincedthattheseriesofquestionssuggestedbyterm

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CouldwesaythatEuropeandthe Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded continue beingignoredbyarthistory. main aspectsofasubjectwhich,inmyopinion,istooimportantto in artisticlife,eveninsidetheartcenters,duringlastfortyyears. “suggested reception” isprobablythemostprominentcharacteristic the dependencyofperipheryoncenter. Ontheotherhand, the questionsmentionedearlier: part fromMakriyannis’s Memoirs whichwillleadusdirectlytoseveralof England andFrance andtheCzarofRussia. who wereguaranteeingGreece’s independence,namelythe Kingsof made andpresentedtoKingOttoofGreece aswellthethreerulers rule inaseriesoftwenty-fourpaintings,whichfourcopiesweretobe painter toillustratethefightforliberationof against Turkish short whilebefore),General Makriyannis intendedtocommissiona In theyear1836(theGreek War ofIndependencehadendedonlya 5 here undertheaspect ofajuxtaposition“nationalart–imported imperialistculture.” V andVI,inPlural,no.103,April 1980),inwhichItouchedupon theproblemformulated Gallery, London,November–December1975,10–11;and“En tornoalartenacional,”Section tions (thecatalogoftheexhibitionFour Painters of20thCentury , Wildenstein 1981, 51–72),whichunfortunatelyislimited onlytoItaly, aswelltwopersonalpublica- shortened French translationinActes delaRecherche enSciencesSociales , no.40,November Primo: QuestionieMetodi, Einaudi,Torino, 1979,285–352;slightlymodifiedand heavily (“Centro eperiferia,”in Storiadell’ArteItaliana,Parte Prima: Materiali eProblemi,Volume would liketorefertheimportantcontribution byEnricoCastelnuovo andCarlo Ginzburg research). Itisonlywithinarthistorythatonehashardlydealtwiththem.Inthis context,I the meantime(anthropology, politicalsciences,artcriticism,culturalpolicy, andhistorical The problemisexactlythatthesequestionshavebeentakenseriouslyinotherareas in These are,inafewwords,andviewedwithkaleidoscope,the This “forcedreception” isalsotheoneImeanwhenreferto He cametomeandwediscussedeverythingagreedonthe me anoldfighterfromSparta;hisnamewas Panagiotis Zographos. After Ihadsentthispainteraway, Isentthewordandtheybrought two-three pictures.Theywerenotgood.Ipaidhimandhe left. pendence fromhim.Icouldnotspeakhislanguage.He painted ] andIcommissionedthesescenesfromthewarsofinde- used equally for all foreigners from Northern, Eastern, and Western nis actuallywrites“a Frank”; duringthistimeperiod,thewordwas . soIarrivedinAthens andfoundaEuropeanpainter[Makriyan- How shouldheproceedtoaccomplishhisgoal?Letmereadoutthe • • 5 • 123

hadjinicolaou | art centers and peripheral art Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded 124 artmargins 9:2 1839. LithographbyH.Kohler, 1852. Peter vonHess.TheConquest ofAcrocorinthbyPanourgias, 7 6 I said,wedonotknowwhohewas.But Ibelievethatwearenotwrong the 19thcentury(!),thatMakriyannis firstcalleduponanon-Greek. As acteristic oftheGreek situation,asearlythemiddleofthirties attempts earnedthedisapprovalofGeneral Makriyannis. Yet, itischar We donotknowthenameofpainterfromNorthernEuropewhose oil sketches,alsodesigned byHess, andnowlocatedintheNeuePinakothek inMunich. Malerei, , Melissa, 1976,461), thelithographswereproducedbasedon theseriesof with chalkbyP.Hess.” According toSteliosLydakis (DieGeschichte derneugriechischen Greek historybyNilsoninthearcades oftheCourtgardeninyears1841–1844,drawn are basedonthe“Originalboardsfor paintingsexecutedinwaxpaintsfrommodern Volume II,1876,no.1359,86and128,14–15), thelithographsofKohlerandAtzinger bis indasXIX.Jahrhundert, , Publishing HouseoftheMontmorillon ArtDealers, Joseph Maillinger (Bilder-Chronik der königlichenHaupt- undResidenzstadt MünchenvomXV. Majestät Ludwig I.KönigvonBayern,in10Heften a4Blatt, 1852–1854.According to Befreiung Griechenlands inXXXIXBildern, entworfenvonPeter Hess aufBefehlseiner Yannis Vlachoyannis, ArchiveofGeneral I.Makriyannis, Volume II, Athens 1907,349. Greeks wasthatone,oftheTurks theotherone.” point; thisbattletookplaceinthefollowingway; theleaderof and Isaidtohim:“Thishappenedatthispoint,thattheother took thepainteralongwithme,andwewalkedupmountains, the .Thisstartedin1836andendedyear1839.I modated allthreeoftheminmyhousewhiletheywereworkingon price foreverypainting.Andhesenthistwosons,andIaccom- rejected representationsbythe“Frank”: with mately howwewouldhavetoimaginethe of Acrocorinth byPanurgias. Thisisapproxi- his lithographsin1852. Munich), basedonwhichH.Kohlerprinted (today alsoattheNeuePinakothekin Greeks inaseriesofthirty-ninesketches recorded thefightforliberationof of KingOttoinAthens onJanuary 13,1835), in Nauplia onFebruary 6,1833andReception Pinakothek inMunich (ArrivalofKingOtto painter oftwoknownpaintingsattheNeue ated byPeter vonHess in1839.Hess, the which Makriyannis disapprovedof,asfollows. when weimaginetheworksofmaster, We seeherehisdepictionofthe conquest Here isalithographbasedonstudycre- 7 6

- Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded debate whichisnotofinteresttousatthismoment and theinvolvementofhissonsincompletionfour series;a Zographos (thereisalongdiscussionabouttheidentityofPanagiotis cardboard, 50 ×63cmbyPanagiotis (ormorecorrectly: Dimitrios) 9 8 want tohearorseeanythingofthatnature. of localcolorintheforeground;etc.Obviously, Makriyannis didnot that ispaidtothemainhero;withsuchanaccumulationoffiguresfull such anunderstandingofpictorialspace;withtheexcessiveattention 1836–39. Watercolor oncardboard,50 ∞63cm.ImagecourtesyofWikimediaCommons. Panagiotis Zographos.FirstBattleoftheGreeksagainstTurks attheBridgeofAlamana, served intheGennadios LibraryinAthens. ThetitleoftheworkisFirst has solvedtheproblem inaconvincingmanner. Panayotis Zographos,” inOPolitis, no.36,July 1980, 52–63)intheGreek NationalArchives I believethattheresearchbyAngelikiFenerli (“The Painters ofMakriyannis: Dimitriosand Athens, noyear[1940],16–17and211–229. has alreadybeenchampionedcategorically byAngelosProkopiou,1821inFolk , culturally conditionedpartisanshipinthe rejectionofthepaintingsby“Frank”), asit Athens, 1974,17–18).Ipreferthesecondinterpretation(whichdoesseeanaesthetic- ­ for Liberation,”inTheGreek Painters , Volume I:From the19thto20thCentury, Melissa, Asdrachas: “Makriyannis andPanayotis Zographos—The History ofIllustrationtheFight would practicallyruleoutacollaborationwithanacademicartistfromthethirties (Spyros time, allthemilitaryeventsoffightforliberationwouldhavetobementioned,” which all theelementswhichwouldhavebeenpresentinreportingofabattleand, atthesame aesthetic preference. .AsfarasMakriyannis wasconcerned,thepaintingshadtofeature the westernartistleavesMakriyannis unsatisfied,forreasonsthathavenothingtodo with for rejectingthe“Frank” byMakriyannis. Many authorsareoftheopinionthat“thework of The specialistliteratureisdividedintotwolargecampsintheinterpretationof reasons Let ustakealookatwhathepreferredinitsplace:watercoloron 8 9 ), whichispre- 125

hadjinicolaou | art centers and peripheral art Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded 126 artmargins 9:2 European image ofGreece. which canberegarded astheemblemofGreek dependencyonthe Academy, painted thisscenein1847,entitledTheConsolation or Solace, half acentury. TheodorosVryzakis (1819–1878), trainedintheMunich Athens, thecenterof“Western” paintingwaslocated ontheIsarfor in theyear1830—the“,”asitiscalled. For peripheral modern Greek paintingafter theestablishmentofanindependentstate ical dependencydirectlyfromtheperiodsofhistory its painting. Central, West, andEastEuropeanpaintingtradition. clusions tobedrawnfromtheincidentofyear1836. mation ofone’sowntradition,theseappearinmyopiniontobethecon - tradition. Resistance towardWest Europeantradition andcompleteaffir painting thattakesadifferent coursethantheWest Europeanpictorial that amodernGreek spontaneouslypreferredandsupportedakindof “Back toByzantine painting—DownwithEuropeanart!”washeard) ment oftheFotis Kontoglougroupinthe1930s,whichbattlecry the lasttime(withexceptionofhighlyintellectualisticmove- Zographos betterthantherepresentations“byFrank.” Itis,perhaps, subjects fromtheyears1820to1880. constantly inWest EuropeanartcarriedbyphilhellenismwithGreek here aseitherpicturesqueorsentimental,characteristicswhichwefind vidual moreinhisdeedsandlessthetraitsofphysiognomy. the recipientsofsuchworkswouldconsidergreatnessindi- ture painting.Drawingonculturalhistory, however, wewouldsaythat and folkart.Andyes,itcouldremindusofPersian andTurkish minia- Italian ”; that wearefacingamixtureofByzantine tradition say thatthepainter“wasnotfamiliarwithachievementsof historical andfromaWest andCentral Europeanperspective,wewould infantry,cavalry,and no. Gallant Officers. the Commander-in-Chief Diakos,theArchbishopofSalona IsaiasandOther Battle oftheGreeks againsttheTurks attheBridgeofAlamanaandDeath A Bavarianwasthefirstkingandschool of In the case of Greece, one can read the phases of the country’s However, theperiphery ofEuropewassooninundatedbythe Back toourproblem:General Makriyannis judgedtheworksby To bestressedaboveall:Greece, theOrient,arenotunderstood A different scaleofvaluesprevailshere:viewedfromanart-­ On the right, we see the city of Lamia with its castle, the Turkish army,

6 the hero Diakos, no. 7 the archbishop,theetc. 7 Diakos,no.hero the 6 ­­polit­

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- Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded almorzando), inthecenter, within theprevailingunderstandingof 10 friendship withPicassoandJuan Gris. Rivera paintedapictureinParis whichprovidestestimony forhis At theageoftwenty-eight,inyear1914,Mexican painterDiego say: theyrepresenttwoworlds. eleven years,butwhichareactuallyseparatedbycenturies.Letusrather mity of1847,inthesetwoworkswhichwerecreatedatimespan today, lieshere:intheinstinctiveresistanceof1836andconfor Robert hadworkedoutinRomeduringthe1820s. center, namelyParis—the modelwhichGustave SchnetzandLeopold took fromhiscenter, namelyMunich, whatMunich hadtakenfromits technique didnothaveitscenterinMunich, butinParis. TheGreek Vryzakis wasprobablymissingtheknowledgethatthispainting ence toantiquity; acool,“romantic” landscape.Theonlythingwhich 1978, 79–88. Diego Rivera:Exposicion Nacional deHomenaje, Palacio deBellas Artes,Mexico City, 1977– eral, seeRitaEder, “ElperiodocubistadeDiegoRivera,” inthecatalogofexhibition referred toas“pre-Cubist” bythecritics(e.g.,Berta Taracena). For Rivera’s cubismingen- “rapid expansionandinternationalization ofCubism” according toDouglasCooper)are “established avant-garde,”namelyintheyear1913.Someofhisworks1912(the of “actual” Cubismwasapproachingitscloseandhadstartedtotransformitself into the Primarily residinginParis since 1908, Riverastartedhiscubistpaintingsatatimewhen An artistoftheperipherypaintsSailor atLunch (Marinero Nothing ismissing:nationalcostumes,sentimentalism,therefer The entireproblem,towhichIwouldlikedirectyourattention • • 10 • of WikimediaCommons. Gallery, Athens.Imagecourtesy on canvas,44 ∞57cm.National Consolation (Solace),1847.Oil . The - - 127

hadjinicolaou | art centers and peripheral art Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded 128 artmargins 9:2 metropoles do not shimmer through. 15th century and the knowledge of of the European 14 13 12 11 ing with an understanding of volume, even of the this suddenchange of heartandradicalchangestyle?”by arguingthatitwasprecisely Jean Charlotattemptedtoanswer thequestion“Whatwerereasons thatbrought about Bolivar auditoriumoftheNationalPreparatory School. The transitionappearstobeformedbythe frescoTheCreation, paintedin1922the Merida), 1,585 squaremetersofwallsonthreefloors thebuildingwerepaintedinfrescos. 1928. Incollaborationwithotherartists (primarilyXavierGuerrero, Jean Charlot,Carlos the time,acommissionthathestartedworking onin1923andcompletelyfinishedonly commission inthesameyearbyJoseVasconcelos, MinisterofEducationandCultureat A memberofthecommunistpartyMexico since 1922,Riverawasgrantedthehuge the contextofpresentpaper(seefootnote 2). tions atthenationalmuseums,patronage,etc.)canneitherbeposednoranswered in galleries, artcriticism,stateculturalpolicy, acquisitionpolicyandorganizationofexhibi- to countryandaccordinghistoricperiods(theartisticmilieuitsrecruitment, private manent basisandwhichdependontheeconomicsituation,howtheydiffer fromcountry cally designedstructure.Thequestionofwhichelementsplayanimportantrole onaper of theperipherybuttransformsthematsametime.Theartcenteritselfhas ahierarchi- this point.Anartcentercanmaintainitselfonlywhenitisconstantlyadmitting elements or “Whicharethemechanismsthatreproduceanartcenterandmaintainit?”is raisedat Obviously, theentirequestion“Whatisanartcenter?”or“Howcenterstructured?” More likely: “inanartperceptionthatinthemeantimehadcometoprevailcenter.” Italian painting of the 14th and not mean that the thorough studies of European center than here. complete rejection of the art of the 1923. One could hardly imagine a more of this cycle, created around Education. his frescocycleintheMinistryof supporter ofsocialismbynow, starts Mexico, Rivera,whohasbecomea a successfulbourgeoisrevolutionin conformation, oraccommodation. instance ofwhatIamcallingadaptation, center. Museo Casa EstudioDiegoRiverayFrida Kahlo,Guanajuato. D.F. / ArtistsRightsSociety(ARS),NewYork. Photographby de MéxicoDiegoRiveraFrida KahloMuseumsTrust, Mexico, Guanajuato, MarteR.GómezCollection, INBA.©2020Banco Oil oncanvas,114 Diego Rivera.SailoratLunch(Marineroalmorzando),1914. The Embrace Approximately tenyearslater, after 14 11 It merely means that we are deal Undoubtedly, thisisamodel 12 ∞ 170 cm.MuseoCasa DiegoRivera, was one of the earliest image as such (not to 13 This does -

- Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded center at the time. art that was prevalent in the its back on the “avant-garde” which intentionally turned from Hodler), case here;inotherworksadoptionsfromGeorge Grosz, OttoDix,even art ofthecenter(nowandtheninfluencesfrom Gauguin, asisthe created around1926.Despitealltheadoptionofelementsfrom Votaries, Rivera’s frescointhestaircaseofMinistryEducation, well-known. ing pre-Columbian art is own obsession with collect their manifestoes. Rivera’s to from the beginning by ­pre-Columbian art is attested the Mexican muralists toward the Mayas, and the turn of ing of the Aztecs as well as way, both in the mural paint quality can be found, by the monumentalism and surface monumental painting mention the preference for 16 15 ter? We havetomanagewith such aparadox,amongotherthings. (and beitfromtheperspective oftheMexican artcenter),alsorepresent theartofcen- artists fromtheremotefarmingvillageof Worpswede, viewedfromaMexican Can we imaginethatGauguin, whofledfromthecenterto Polynesia, orthatthecolonyof signed byRivera(1923). is declaredinthemanifestoofSyndicate ofTechnical Workers, Painters, andSculptors, praise thestyleofmonumentalart,because itispublicpossessionandusefultothepublic” “We rejecttheso-calledeaselpaintingandentire artofultra-intellectualcirclesand phenomenon ofMexican frescopaintingassuch. earliest frescoesintheMinistryofEducation,buthardlyRivera’s new styleasawholeorthe explains aworksuchasTheCreation (seefootnote13),andperhapsathingortwoaboutthe Mexikanischen Revolution (NGfBK:West-, 1974),139).To alargeextent,itcertainly on whichIwantedtobasemyMexican attempts”; seethecatalogofexhibitionKunst der peninsula allthewaytoSicily, IreturnedtoParis with325drawings.Thatwasthematerial argument wasactuallyprovidedfirstbyRiverahimself(“After Ihadroamedthroughthe of Jean Charlot(UniversityPressofHawaii: Honolulu,1972),Volume II,213–230).The to studyItalianfrescopainting(“DiegoRiverainItaly,” inAnArtistonArt—Collected Essays Rivera’s triptoItalyinNovemberof1920(which,bytheway, wasfinancedby Vasconcelos) Let usbrieflylookatTropical Mexico andtheGod Xochipilli andHis This inclination toward 16 wecansaythatthemodelcharacterofartcenter 15 ), - - Artists RightsSociety(ARS),NewYork. PhotographbyRafaelDoníz. © 2020BancodeMéxicoDiegoRiveraFrida KahloMuseumsTrust, Mexico,D.F. / wall, PatiodelTrabajo, SecretariatofPublicEducationMainHeadquarters,MexicoCity. Diego Rivera.Tropical MexicoandtheGodXochipilliHisVotaries, 1926.Fresco, north 129

hadjinicolaou | art centers and peripheral art Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded 130 artmargins 9:2 the paralleldeclineofattractivenessFrench art center ring topoliticalandsocialevents? explain thisarthistoricalphenomenonofformalchangeswithoutrefer celebrated inMexico. Kenneth Nolandbecamefashionable. 1964, acryliconcanvas,177.2 ×cm,ArtGallery ofOntario)by on canvas,272 ×380cm,NationalGallery West Berlin);orC(painted the “IrregularPolygon Series,”createdin1966,alkydandepoxycolor State Museum, Münster); byFrank StellasuchasSanbornville I(from Yellow (createdin1971,acryliconcanvas,227 ×203cm,Westphalian ing reachedMexico. Works byEllsworthKelly suchasTwo Panels: Red At theendofsixties,beginningseventies,“hardedge” paint- political geographyofart? into thediscourseofdisciplinearthistorythanbymeansa what otherwaywoulditbepossiblefortheseundoubtablefactstoenter Composition byRobertoRealdeLeónfromtheyear1973(typographical Baeza, QuiebreCuatro(createdin1973,acryliconcanvas,150 × 100cm); I wouldalsoliketoshowthreeexamples:aworkbyEduardo Vazquez 19 18 17 own world.Itbecomesindependentanditscenter. mense peasantry). (which unitetheliberalbourgeoisie,workingclass,andim­ and culturaldependencyisbeingcontestedbylargemassmovements this phaseofMexican history inwhichthecountry’s economic,political, is breakinguporthatitsmodelsarebeingproductivelyremodeled,in Esteticas ofUNAM, ElGeometrismo Mexicano, withtextsbyIdaRodriguez Prampolini, City. Representativeinthesame way isthepublicationofInstitutode Investigaciones Actual, whichopeneditsdoorsinNovember1976 intheMuseum ofModernArtinMexico Above all,Iamthinkingabouttheexhibition ElGeometrismo Mexicano; UnaTendencia Raquel Tibol ed.(EditorialGrijalbo: Mexico City, 1979)). turns themintolackeysoftheEuropeans,” arenumerous(seeDiegoRivera,ArteyPolitica, European metropoles,”and“pseudoartists whoarestillsuffering fromendemiawhich the School.Theexamples,in whichRiveraridicules“thepitifulimitationsofartthe Sculptors of1923)uptothevehementdenunciations ofWest-European artandparticularly thonous civilization” (manifesto oftheSyndicateTechnical Workers, Painters, and As iswellknown,thisrangesfromtheself-confident referenceto “our remarkableautoch- Latinoamerica, PhD,UniversidadIberoamericana,Mexico City, 1977,typescript. See alsoJulia ElenaSotoMartinez, LaescuelaMexicana depinturaysuinfluenciaen The crushingofthepro-French dictatorshipofPorfirio Diazand As earlyasthemid-seventies,Geometrismo Mexicano wasofficially Part oftheperipheryturnsitsbackoncenterandcreates 19 Itisa“typicalMexican achievement” ofwhich • • • 17 But canwe 18 —in - -

Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded skillful, well-balancedculturalpolicy. model ofthepowerfulcenterwhosereceptionisbeingmediated bya 1976, acrylicandlacqueronwood). ink oncardboard);finallyComposition byFrancisco Moyao(paintedin Gortazar inGuadalajara have todowith“geometrism”? incompatible. For example, whatdoesthefantasticfountainofFernando Gonzalez dated phenomenaundertheheadingof “geometrism” thatarewaytoodifferent, even to pointoutthattheexhibitionanditscatalog aswellthepublicationfrom1977consoli- 1977). Thelatteralsocontainsanextensive bibliography. Inthisconnection,Iwouldlike Juan Acha, XavierMoyssen,JorgeAlbertoManrique, andTeresa del Conde(Mexico City, Once again,representativeexamplesofatotaladaptationto the • • • / ArtResource,NewYork. Photograph byJörgP.Anders Rights Society(ARS),NewYork. © 2020Frank Stella /Artists Museen zuBerlin,Nationalgalerie. 371 ∞ 26410cm.Staatliche Alkyd andepoxypaintoncanvas, Frank Stella.Sanbornville I,1966. Image courtesyoftheartist. ink oncardboard,240 ∞220cm. Composition, 1973.Typographical Roberto RealdeLeón. 131

hadjinicolaou | art centers and peripheral art Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded 132 artmargins 9:2 Kyrgyzstan, paintedin1948,nowlocated intheStateTretyakov Gallery Chuikov, whohadbeentrainedinRussia. SSR totheothersocialistSovietRepublicsofAsia. was exportedafter theOctoberRevolution,specificallyfromRussian embodying asecondalternative.Nevertheless,itwasthismixture that 21 20 heights ofsocialistrealism,” Plastov fromthefifties andsixties,whichareoften referred toas“the and issometimesqualifiedas“Russianrealism.”Theworks ofArkady tive toWest Europeanandlocal decadence(Kandinsky, ElLissitzky, etc.) mixture isviewedasone(althoughnottheonlyone)“healthy” alterna- fought againstsuccessfully)hasbeenincreasinglyoperative. Today, this ­elements withtheacademictraditionofIlyaRepin(whichSerovhad After theRevolution,especiallysincethirties,amixtureofthese tion ofaFrench-“Mediterranean” pointofviewintheRussiansouth. 71.5 cm, , ),isagoodexampleofthe applica- 1960). Korovin’s Coffeehouse inJalta, from1905(oiloncanvas,44.5 × age, byKonstantinKorovin(diedin1939)andIgorGrabar (diedin also continuedbyVictor Borissov-Mussatov whopassedawayatanearly doubt, Henri Matisse. ThischangeofdirectiontowardFrench artwas development inRussianart.ThekeyfigurefortheRussiansis,without asts, suchasShchukinandMorozov, contributedtheirsharetothis 1910, indeeduptoWorld War I). TheartcollectionsofRussianenthusi- (Larionov, Bakst,Jawlensky, Kandinskyundertakesuchadoptions until Fauves, andalsooftheGerman earlyexpressionistsareadopted tions. Inasecondphase,theachievementsofCézanne, theFrench ism andNeo-Impressionismdespitethecontinuanceofitsowntradi- 1890) and , is primarily committed to French Impression­ as representedbypainterssuchIsaacLevitan(inhisworksince hand, andtheartofSovietRepublicsAsiaonotherhand. the relationshipbetweenRussianandSoviet-Russianartonone ism, andSocialistRealismasideatthispointraisethequestionof the SovietUnion.Iwouldliketoputdebatesaboutrealism,criticalreal- My lastexampleconcernstherelationshipofcenterandperipheryin painter, borninFrunse in1902,living inMoscow” accordingtoHans Vollmer’s Allgemeines tion athandofpassing onRussiantraditionsintonon-Russian republics.“Soviet-Kyrgyz His personalcaseillustratesinexcellentfashion thenationalproblemaswellques- For example,S.Kusnezowa, inArkadyPlastow(Aurora ArtPublishers: Leningrad,1974),41. First, Ishowyoutwoworksbyanartistofthe Kyrgyz SSR,Semyon Russian paintingoftheend19thandearly20thcentury, 20 areperhapsmoreaccuratelyseenas 21

You seeDaughterofSoviet Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded in Moscow, and his Kyrgyz Landscape, from 1946 (oil on cardboard, 52 × 82 cm, also in the Tretyakov Gallery). Chuikov, a full member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, and Lenin Prize winner, studied in Moscow during the twenties and was a student of Robert Falk, whose work is closely connected to French painting. In this manner, a Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 “Kyrgyz” painter in during the twenties learned to see his country, and a European vision of the Soviet South and Orient has been constructed on this basis. A look at a landscape of the Armenian painter Mger Abegjan, who was also trained in Moscow, such as his Valley of the Ara Mountains (oil on canvas, 80 × 95 cm, collection of the artist) of 1961; a landscape by the Mongolian painter Badamjavin Chogsom, In the Gobi Desert from 1967 (oil on canvas, 200 × 140 cm); and two works by Chingiz Akhmarov, Artist of Semyon Chuikov. Daughter of Soviet Kyrgyzstan, 1948. Oil on canvas, 120 ∞ 95 cm. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Photograph by the State the People of the Uzbek SSR: his Tretyakov Gallery. Portrait of Rakhima from the year 1960 (oil on canvas, 100 × 80 cm) and his Girl with Fruits from the year 1962 ( on canvas), show this intrusion of the West into the Soviet East.

Lexikon der bildenden Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts, Volume VI (Leipzig: VEB Seemann, 1962), 453. By comparison, Chuikov belongs to the “Russian school” and was born in Moscow in 1902, according to Bénézit’s Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs, 3rd edition (Paris: Gründ, 1976), Volume X. The latter thesis is also repeated by the catalog L’Art Russe des Scythes à nos jours—Trésors des Musées Soviétiques (Paris: Grand Palais, October 1967–January 1968) and by François Eryz in Peintres contemporains (Paris: Mazenod, 1964), 452. The bio-bibliography Semyon Afanasyevich Chuikov, published by the Ministry of Culture of the Kyrgyz SSR (Frunse, 1965), does not mention Chuikov’s place of birth in the biographical section, but this sec- tion tells us that his father was a Russian and a writer in the army. On the other hand, we can read in the short introduction: “The Russian painter is the first one in Kyrgyzstan who was honored with the high decoration of national painter of this republic” (p. 3). Kyrgyzstan is also mentioned as the republic “where he was born” (ibid.).

133 134 artmargins 9:2 for thebordersofAlsaceandLorraine, the ideaofjustifyingitsgivenbordersortheirexpansion). landscapes andtribalpeculiaritieswithinanationalterritory (often with anthropogeography, it concentratedprimarilyonthequestionofart nias. InGermany, basedonFriedrich Ratzel’s(partiallyconcocted) for fartoolong,ithasbeenthetoolofnationalisticandracialmonoma- reform. raphy, undertheconditionhoweverthatitundergoesasubstantial tured byatraditionalauxiliarydisciplineofarthistory, namelyartgeog- to shedsomelightontheseriesofquestionsoutlinedatbeginning. common denominator, sincetheyaretoodifferent, butletususethem At thispoint,letusnotattempttoreducethesedisparateelementsa tant questionthatoughttobeposedandanswered. policy (ifmyobservationsreflectthemaintendency)?Thisisanimpor dated to1970. Teahouse inSamarkandbytheaforementionedChingizAkhmarov, tion. We canseethis,forexample,inthefrescopaintingsYulduz to amoreorlesssterileunderstandingoffolkartandthenationaltradi- the “maintenanceofnationalculturalheritage” isotherwisereduced means ofartacademies,publications,commissions,medals)andthat seminated intheAsianRepublicsofSovietUnionbycenter(by exotic SouththatwasprevalentintheRussianSSRisalsobeingdis- search fortheGerman characterinart, the “Gothic,”questionregardingGermany’s easternfrontiers,the ignored. interests, allcultural,social,andpoliticalaspectsofartgeography were art geographyhadpursuedforthreedecades.Andinthename ofthese 24 23 22 de lapropagandegermanique (Paris: Librairie deMédicis, 1945). For thelastthreepoints,see thepamphletbyPierreFrancastel, L’Histoire del’artinstrument in Elsass-LothringischesJahrbuch, Volume XVIII(1938),123–142. Walther Zimmermann, “Zur Abgrenzung derKunsträume imElsassundinLothringen,” Of thetype“Westphalia asartlandscape” or“The art ofGerman tribesandartlandscapes.” Art geographyhasfallenintodisrepute.Andrightfullyso.Because With respecttomycentralthesis:thesephenomenacanbecap- Which politicalinterestsarebeingrepresentedbysuchacultural I havetheimpressionthataEuropeanvisionofOrientand After II,itis true thattheimportanceofsocialandpolit- • • • 24 23 thesewerethequestionswhich thefightfornationalityof 22 Thefight

- Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded geography. and whichatthesametimepursuesaneconomic,social,political Sir Kenneth Clark America, (a“metropolitanstyle” parexcellenceaccordingto raphy” aroundWolfgang Hartke intheFederal RepublicofGermany selves areopeningnewavenues,whetheritistheschoolof“socialgeog- attended topopulationdistributionandthemorphologyofearth) which endeavorstoovercometraditionalgeography(whichprimarily or thegrouparoundYves LacosteandthemagazineHérodoteinParis, and France applied. Harald Keller’s publicationsontheartlandscapesofItaly history, itisfrequentlypresent.” and politicalfactorsdoesnotimmediatelybecomerecognizableforart Hausherr wrotein1970: “Even incaseswhereaconnectiontosocial ical factorsforartgeographywererecognized.For example,Reiner 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 speaking artgeographyafter World War II. Clark,Provincialism , 3–4. “Editorial,” inHérodote , No. 22(1981),4–5). the politicaliscentralepistemological problemofuniversitygeography” (Yves Lacoste, thing elseinitbutargumentsthatjustify theexpansionismofNazis[. ..].Eliminating term geopoliticsisviewedastarnishedbecauseonestill insistingonnotrecognizingany- raphy, and that their consideration would result in the negation of a scientific approach. The to alltheevidence,corporationbelieves thattheydonothaveanythingtowithgeog- almost acentury, istheeliminationofpoliticalphenomena fromitsfieldofvision.Contrary “One ofthemaincharacteristicsuniversity geographysinceitsexistenceinFrance, for I amthinkingparticularlyofEliseeReclus. Naturally, theforebearsofsuchregenerationattemptsreachfarinto19thcentury: Keuning). Verlag Michael Lassleben,1968)(withimportantcontributionsbyM.DerruauandH. J. Münchner StudienzurSozial- undWirtschaftsgeographie, Volume 4 (Kallmünz/Regensburg: See, forexample,Zum StandortderSozialgeographie—Wolfgang Hartke zum60.Geburtstag, Plastik, 1975),30–40. um 1400amMittelrhein: EinTeil derWirklichkeit (Frankfurt/M.: Liebighaus,Museum alter “art landscape” byHerbert BeckandHorstBredekampinthecatalogof theexhibitionKunst In thiscase,theexceptionsproveruleagain.Seeexcellentdiscussionof the term VI. 1950(Berlin:Gebrüder Mann, 1950),31–54. graphy in“Kunstgeschichte undMilieutheorie,”inEineGabe fürCarl Georg Heise zum28. Wiesbaden, 1963.SeealsoKeller’s theoreticalfoundationofhisunderstandingartgeo- Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Volume 1,Year 1962,No.4,Franz SteinerVerlag, Kunstlandschaften Frankreichs, ProceedingsoftheScientificSocietyatJohann Wolfgang Harald Keller, DieKunstlandschaften Italiens(Munich: Prestel,1960),andDie Volume 34(1970),170. “Kunstgeographie—Aufgaben, Grenzen, Möglichkeiten,”inRheinischeVierteljahrsblätter, Thanks totheSpanishconquestoflargestpartLatin This isevenmoresurprisingatatimeinwhichgeographersthem- 30 26 areactuallystillrepresentativeofthestatusGerman- 31 ) becamethedominantarchitecturalstyleof 25 However, thesefindingswereseldom 27 28 29

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• Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded years ago, the culture industry least since the 16th century, has become extremely important: years, especially after 1945, one element, which we can discern latently at Another comment of a general nature. During the last one hundred of accommodation. also exists.But, ofcourse,itdoesnotcoverthevarietytypesorforms me toemphasizeit—isfarfrombeingpassiveimitation.Naturally, that and itssimultaneoustransformation?Becauseaccommodation—allow quered IndianpeoplesofLatinAmericatotheartconquerors differently thanastheembodimentofaccommodationbycon- imported artideal?Can thephenomenonofcolonialbaroquebeviewed one describethephenomenonofconsciousrejectionoracceptancean term resistanceanditscomplementaryaccommodationshould of . tural conception,anewmodel,inthiscaseembodiedbytheCathedral in whichheattemptedtoexplaintheresistanceagainstanewarchitec- tled “TheResistancetoChartresinEarly13thCentury ,” model. In1958,forexample,Jean Bonypublishedalongerstudy, enti- tance hasbeenusedearliertodrawattentionthenonobservanceofa me brieflydefendthelegitimacyofmyplea. the heterogeneityofmyexamples,orbetter, becauseofthem.Now, let I hopethatthecomplexityoftheseproblemshasbecomeclear, despite we couldarguebetterabouttheexplanationoffacts. a cartographicaldeterminationoffactscanbehelpfultoeveryone?Then tects, oranyotherprofessionalgroup.Couldweatleastagreethatsuch just asdividedintoschoolsandtendenciesliteraryhistorians,archi- 33 32 Verlag, 1947). [Max HorkheimerandTheodor W. Adorno,] DialektikderAufklärung (:Querido of scientificrevolutionstheyaredirectly referencing). exaggerated theirflirtingwiththeterminology of T. S. Kuhn (whosetheoryofthestructure study (“Laresistenzaalmodello” and“Modelloenuovo paradigma,”325–328)wherebythey Castelnuovo andGinzburg emphaticallypointedtoBony’s essay intheiraforementioned Journal oftheBritishArchaeological Association,ThirdSeries,Volume XX–XXI(1958),35–52. When Adorno andHorkheimerusedthetermcultureindustry forty But asidefromitsearlierusage,howelsebesidestheuseof First, awordaboutresistanceandaccommodation.Thetermresis- 33 someconsidereditexcessive.Today, everybodyspeaksabout and its connection with • • • • • • governmental cultural policy the role of 32 .

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hadjinicolaou | art centers and peripheral art Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded 138 artmargins 9:2 weather, wedon’t” into“Everybody talksaboutpolitics—exceptus,the history. we havethehabitofservingrespectiverulingpowerswith ourart deny its existence; on the other hand, and unfortunately much too often, politics andthepoliticalpowerinourareaononehand, oreven This leadsmetoanotherpoint:thetabooonpoliticsinart history. we haveestablishedmapsoftheinfluenceartgroups! have nothingtodowithpolitics,andeverythingmustwaitanyhowuntil limited tostateborders,ChristianityorIslamare“cultural factors” that by Max Kozloff 37 36 35 34 during aUNESCOconference! Minister ofCulturehasrecentlydenouncedculturalimperialism mony, culturalimperialismhavebecomeself-evident. Even theFrench the cultureindustry. Terms suchasculturewar,fightforculturalhege- groups, thatisstylehavebeenestablished.” remaining culturalfactorsmaybetakenuponlyafter mapsoftheart and thoseoftheadministration(dioceses).But thisconnectionwiththe geography. Inthesameway, artisdependent onthepoliticalborders dissemination ofIslamorChristianityalsosayssomethingaboutart Stockholm in1933,Paul Frankl wrote:“Itisobviousthatamapofthe he presentedatthe13thInternationalCongressofArtHistory in this objective. financed byfoundationsundergovernmentcontrolinordertoreach and thatexhibitionspublicationsabroadweresystematically of theculturalpolicyUnitedStatesduringfifties andsixties, nation oftheNewYork Schoolallovertheworldwasamainobjective au Congrès,Stockholm, 1933,87. XIII CongrèsInternational d’Histoire del’Art, RésumésdesCommunications présentées 39–41. Eva Cockcroft, “,Weapon oftheColdWar,” Artforum(June 1974): Max Kozloff, “American Painting duringtheColdWar,” Artforum(May 1973):43–54. August 7,1982. Jack LanginMexico CityonJuly 27.LeMonde publishedexcerptsfromhisspeechon I wouldliketotransposetheoldmotto“Everybody talksabout the We, arthistorians,havethehabit ofignoringtheimplications I believethatthisisstilltheprevailingpositiontoday. Politics is In hiscontribution“DieAufgaben derKunstgeographie,” which 35 andEva Cockcroft, • 34 We haveatourdisposalthestudies • 36 whohaveshownthatthedissemi- •

37 Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded Kunstgeographie,” systematically inhiswork“Geschichte undProblemederKultur- und “monuments ofhigherculture” (asDagobertFrey wasstillrepresenting speak of“advanced civilizations” and“primitivecultures” orofthe after thereleaseofRiegl’s SpätrömischeKunstindustrie, wecannolonger we havetostopviewingpowerbalancesasquality.Eightyyears amounts toanurgenttask. into afarce.Inthissensealso,an“art geographyofdependency” pline inthissense.Indoingso,weallowtheallegeddialoguetoturn dialogue onadailybasisandnotundertakeanythinginourowndisci- into account.For example,wecannotheartalksabouttheNorth-South assume ittodayalsomeanstotakethepoliticaldimensionofourfield moral responsibility, includingthatofarthistorians,isconsiderable.To are constantlylookingforascapegoat,ithastobesaidloudandclear: possible World War III;inatimeofdecreesagainstradicals,whenwe vice, To ensurethatthecommitmenttoWarburg doesnotturnintolipser one weretofinallyabandonthehaughtyovervaluationofEuropeanart? of Aby Warburg, thatitwouldcertainlymeantobetruehisspiritif of progressinart,letalonebasedonlineardevelopment. curriculum oftheuniversity? art historians.” 41 40 39 38 40 the 1978/79winter semester, with theexceptionoftwoseminarswhose subjectwas For example,ifwelookat the Hamburg curriculumofthelastfiveyears, thatis,since with )andthatfilmliterature seemsstilltobedeniedentry? of thetradewhichnow, after the trade with“original graphics” wouldliketodobusiness ments (andthennotevenastheresultof anexpansionoftheconceptart,butasaresult books aboutphotographyhavefoundtheir wayintothelibrariesofarthistorydepart- example, isitpossible,morethanhalfa centuryafter Warburg’s death,thatonlyafew lishing thephotographsofWarburg amongthePueblo Indiansontheotherhand. For Berlin, 1932),478),insteadofconstantly quotingthesentenceononehandandpub- Schifanoja zuFerrara,” inGesammelte Schriften, B. G.Teubner, Volume II (Leipzigand tial andspatialviewpoint” (“ItalienischeKunst undinternationaleAstrologieimPalazzo of 1912“infavoramethodicalboundaryexpansionourscienceartfrom asubstan- remains whetheroneshouldnotactuallydrawthefullconsequencesfromhisfamous plea me fromhim,atheoreticalandmethodologicalpointofview. Still,thequestion I amfarremovedfromwantingtocreateaWarburg cult.Thereistoomuchthatseparates Archaeologia Geographica, Year 4(December1955),90–105. (Paris: Anthropos,1975)? Ethnocentrisme ethistoire:L’Afrique,l’Amériqueindiennel’Asiedanslesmanuels occidentaux For example,dowehaveanequivalentinarthistorytoD.Perrot andR.Preiswerk, The price,whichwewouldhavetopayforit,isnaturallyhigh: Am Iallowedtosayinacity, whichclaimstosafeguardtheheritage woulditthennotbenecessarytoalsobanEurocentrismfromthe 38 Inthemiddleofamassiveeconomiccrisis,facing 39 publishedin1955);wealsohavetogiveuptheidea 41 We say“art history” andtoday, in1982, - 139

hadjinicolaou | art centers and peripheral art Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 September 24 on guest by http://direct.mit.edu/artm/article-pdf/9/2/119/1846574/artm_a_00267.pdf from Downloaded 140 artmargins 9:2 of study. into accountandsearchforfindsuitablemeansthistype is unimportant.Itimportantthatwetaketheexistenceofthisfact facts withthegeneraltermpoliticalartgeographyorsimply century inasignificantway. Whetherwedesignatethestudyofthese gation, thatweconfrontthefactswhichhaveshapedartof20th traditions withinourdiscipline,anditisalsoamoralscientificobli- testimony ofanirresponsiblepolitics.Nodoubt,itwouldbeinthebest 42 United Statesofthe20thcentury. we stillmeanEuropeanartfromtheCarolingians totoday+artofthe has theartofUnited Statesasitssubject. four hundredpublications aboutthewholefieldofnon-European art,ofwhichatleasthalf University ofHamburg, whichcontainsseveral thousandvolumes,hashardlymorethan One pieceofevidenceforthisclaim:the libraryofthearthistorydepartment ing tendency. sufficient tobeable to drawundeniableconclusions,theyarestillrepresentativeofanexist- , France). Even ifthetitlesofcoursesandlecturesbythemselvesarecertainlynot the attentionwasaddressedtoartof the“cultivated” nationsoftheOccident(, exception: “Architecture andCityPlanninginLeningradMoscow”), whereby99% of cated totheartofEurope,ormorecorrectly: totheartofNATO countries(withone Fresco Painting inGermany”), itisapparentthatallothercoursesand lectureswerededi- non-European art(“BrazilianArchitectureafter 1945”and“The ReceptionofMexican 42 Thatisnotsimplyabsurd.Itthe Transla t ed by by ed D ie t er Wäl er t

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