Todos nuestros catálogos de arte All our art catalogues desde/since 1973 Before and after MiniMalisM a Century of aBstraCt tendenCies in the daiMlerChrysler ColleCtion 2007 El uso de esta base de datos de catálogos de exposiciones de la Fundación Juan March comporta la aceptación de los derechos de los autores de los textos y de los titulares de copyrights. Los usuarios pueden descargar e imprimir gra- tuitamente los textos de los catálogos incluidos en esta base de datos exclusi- vamente para su uso en la investigación académica y la enseñanza y citando su procedencia y a sus autores. Use of the Fundación Juan March database of digitized exhibition catalogues signifies the user’s recognition of the rights of individual authors and/or other copyright holders. Users may download and/or print a free copy of any essay solely for academic research and teaching purposes, accompanied by the proper citation of sources and authors. www.march.es mu>eu d'Ar' I .0"'~,~~po"n' ?=;;- 1'''",,,'.,", 'U.", \1.11<11 • Ai e a 1-- lf1 h D n lt'l( 2 .0 .2007-08.0 .2007 Befare and AfterAfier Minimalism A Century of Abstract Tendencies inin the DaimlerChrysler Collection The artistic current known as and methods of European and herehere.. Thanks to this collaboration Minimal Art and especially the American artists; as much among we have been able to present, installations and objects of the those of the postwar generation as for the first time, a panoramic representatives of classicalc1assical 1960s among those contemporaries who display of the pioneering figures Minimalism - artists such as Carl partake in minimalist tendencies of the vanguard predecessors of Andre, Dan FlaFlavin,vin, Donald Judd or invoke European abstraction European and American minimalist and the recently deceased Sol and constructivism as their historiehistoric currents. That said, the exhibition LeWitt - have made such an predecessorspredecessors.. does not focus on "classic"lc1assic" impact on the genre that it is often lnsofarInsofar as one contemplates MiniMinimal mal Art from the 1960s, with perceived as an autochthonous Minimalism from that perspective the exception of the works of Jo and purely North American - more methodological than Baer, Elaine Sturtevant!FrankSturtevant/Frank phenomenonphenomenon.. That said, beyond thematic - it ceases to be solely an Stella, Michael Heizer, since it is the circumstance of its American American current from the 1960s already well represented in SpanishSpanish birth, perhaps Minimalism does and emerges as a characteristic, collections. Classic Minimalism not consist so much in a thematthematicic a sort of minimal common has already been the subject of current but, more likely, in a kind of denominator, in the works of artists numerous exhibitions in Spain pluralismpluralism that is based, aboyeabove all, of highly diverse periods and and the rest of the world, as Dr. on abstraction, constructivism and places. The exhibition, therefore, is Renate Wiehager points out in her formal reduction. comprised of works that embody extensive introductory essay in Based on that argument, the the distant ancestors of Minimalism our exhibition's virtual catalogue. exhibition BeforeBefare and After in European abstract painting of ExhibitionsExhibitions inin Spain range from th1 Minimalism: A Century of Abstract the early 20'20 h century, especially in MinimalMínima/ Art at the Fundación Tendencies in the OaimlerChryslerDaimlerChrysler southern Germany. Itlt also features Juan March (1981)( 1981) to the recent CollectionCol/ection reveals the formal those who havehave incorporated minimalismos at MMNCARSNCARS (2001).('2001). minimalist approaches and the traditions, pictorial abstracts InIn order to show the links typical geometric abstractions of and minimalist tendenciestendencies of that between Europe and thethe United minimalist works in an essentially century and those who continue States, the exhibition reveals a broader context. What is c1earclear is working with these attributes panorama of artists whom, up to that the origin of the procedures into the present day on the two the present day,day, have worked or and methods of minimalist continents. are working with the language practices should alalsoso be sought This contextualization of the of abstraction and with various inin the abstract and constructivist diverse minimalist tendencies isis minimalist tendencies. They are tendencies born inin Europe at the one of the most characteristic each uniquely reinterpretingreinterpreting the th1 beginning of the 20'20 h century. Itlt aspects of the DaimlerChrysler essential characteristicscharacteristics of those reveals thethe many parallels thatthat Corporation's collection, toto which currents and applying themthem toto exist between thethe procedures belong all of thethe works exhibited others thatthat preceded themthem such as 2 Fundación Juan March De Stijl, the Abstraction-Création Stuttgart Academy and Halzel,Hi:ilzel, a group, the Bauhaus or the Zurich true pioneer of abstract art, whose Concrete artists. Like the Hard teachings would later influence Edge painters of California's the professors of the Bauhaus.Bauhaus. Abstract Classicism or the With selective criteria and growing extremely new Neo Geo, they keep internationalization, the collection, their spirit alive and maintain their comprised of approximately methodological characteristics. 1,5001,500 works by some 400 artists, The exhibition, which occupies has continued to expand its the entire second floor of holdings of art by the Abstract­ the Museu d'Art Espanyol Constructivists, Conceptualists and Contemporani de Palma, was Minimalists. They alalsoso promote and organized in c10seclase collaboration develop scientific documentation,documentation, with Dr. Wiehager, Director of the cataloguing and study and collection, and includes 64 works disseminate this information via by 41 artists. The vast majority are publications and exhibitions and, paintings but there are also graphic in some cases, as in this one, in works, sculptures, installations cooperation with other collections, and videos by European and institutions and museums around North American artists, from the the world. earliest works of Adolf HalzelHi:ilzel The Fundación Juan March (1853-1934), noted teacher at the would like to thank the Stuttgart Academy, to artists such DaimlerChrysler Collection for as Vincent Szarek (b. 1972). making this exhibition possible and Distinct from other modern especially to Dr. Renate Wiehager and contemporary art collections and her staff for their extraordinary with more general objectives with collaboration in every aspect of its regard to their representation of organization. art, the DaimlerChrysler Collection, as of 1977, took advantage of Fundación Juan March the presence of Daimler-Benz Palma, May 2007 AG in Stuttgart - although it alalsoso has headquarters and plants worldwide - and focused their collecting on the origins of abstraction. They focused on the Fundación Juan March 3 BefareBefere and After Minimalism: the ExhibitionExhibitien An introduction to the exhibition in 1933 - and then as head of lntroductionIntroduction is provided by Josef Albers the design department at ValeYale (1(1), ), who played an important University in Connecticut, Albers role in transmitting new artistic influenced severa!several generations of concepts to the United States. As artists in Europe and the United a former student and teacher at States. Albers' works eexaminexamine the the Bauhaus beforebefore World WaWarr 11, correlation between form and color as a teacher at Black Mountain structures that he visualized in College, North Carolina-Carolina - after serial sequences. emigrating to the United States A surprising dialogue between the relationship between color and formoform. In his 19631963 book lntInteractioneraction of Color he set down his theoretical thoughts on color effects, which are demonstrated in his well-known painting series "Homage"Homage to the Square"Square" (see 16). ~ (3) John M Armleder,Armleder, of artists like BarnetlBarnett Newman Avec les deux lustres (FS), while the lamps,lamps, which brin9 (With Both Chandeliers to mind halos, comment (FS)), 1993. In his "Furniture"Furniture ironicallyironically on Newman's Sculptures"Sculptures" (FS) series, avowed transcendentalism, Armleder fusesfu ses abstract further underscored by the painting with everyday objects employment of the sacred - itemsitems often found by chance,chance, triptychtriptych formoform. at fleaflea markets forfor example,example, thatthat reveal tracestraces of theirtheir use. InIn thisthis work,work, thethe centralcentral cancanvasvas paraphrases thethe c1assicclassic American Color Field paintings 4 Fundación Juan March ~-+ (1) Jose!Josef Albers,Albers, 000Otto Meyer-Amden (2) and John M tthehe aim ofof elueidatingelucidating points of Formulation:Formula/ion: Articula/ion,Articu/ation, ArmlederArm leder (3) serves as a prelude refereneereference and formal eonnectionsconnections 1972. TheThe silkscreensilkscreen colorcolor prinls shown here are part of to the Modernists from the circle of (as wellwell as makingmaking an oeeasionaloccasional prints shown here are part of Adolf Holzel's Stuttgart Academy ironie eommentary). a double portlolioportfolio containingcontaining Adolf Hi:ilzel's Stuttgart Academy ironic commentary). 127 prinls created by Albers and sets the stage for the artistie 127 prints created by Albers and sets the stage for the artistic in !he final years of his life.