Studio International magazine: Tales from Peter Townsend’s editorial papers 1965-1975 Joanna Melvin 49015858 2013 Declaration of authorship I, Joanna Melvin certify that the worK presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this is indicated in the thesis. i Tales from Studio International Magazine: Peter Townsend’s editorial papers, 1965-1975 When Peter Townsend was appointed editor of Studio International in November 1965 it was the longest running British art magazine, founded 1893 as The Studio by Charles Holme with editor Gleeson White. Townsend’s predecessor, GS Whittet adopted the additional International in 1964, devised to stimulate advertising. The change facilitated Townsend’s reinvention of the radical policies of its founder as a magazine for artists with an international outlooK. His decision to appoint an International Advisory Committee as well as a London based Advisory Board show this commitment. Townsend’s editorial in January 1966 declares the magazine’s aim, ‘not to ape’ its ancestor, but ‘rediscover its liveliness.’ He emphasised magazine’s geographical position, poised between Europe and the US, susceptible to the influences of both and wholly committed to neither, it would be alert to what the artists themselves wanted. Townsend’s policy pioneered the magazine’s presentation of new experimental practices and art-for-the-page as well as the magazine as an alternative exhibition site and specially designed artist’s covers. The thesis gives centre stage to a British perspective on international and transatlantic dialogues from 1965-1975, presenting case studies to show the importance of the magazine’s influence achieved through Townsend’s policy of devolving responsibility to artists and Key assistant editors, Charles Harrison, John McEwen, and contributing editor Barbara Reise. Reise’s work with the Minimalists cemented their reputations in the UK. Seth Siegelaub, the innovative New YorK art dealer guest edited the exhibition in the July/August 1970 issue. Harrison’s support of Conceptual art led to SI May 1971, an exhibition venture with the New York Culture Center. McEwen was responsible for the Fish issue, May 1974. ii Peter Townsend’s papers are the only known surviving papers in the magazine’s history. They are independent of the publication and provide off- scene accounts into the commissions. Leads found in Townsend’s archive trace connections to other archives which led to interviews. In interviews and archives often it is the anecdotal story that raises circumstantial evidence giving fuel to reconsider familiar accounts. iii Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the generous support of several institutions and many individuals. In the first instance the worK on compiling the data was funded by grants from the Henry Moore Foundation, The Elephant Trust and the Arts Council of England. Funding for a visit to New York in 2005 to undertake a series of interviews was provided by Chelsea College of Art & Design. I am very grateful for this assistance. My first thanks must go to Peter Townsend and his daughters Sally and Catherine. I would liKe to thanK all the many people who have shared their memories of the magazine and the editor Peter Townsend, in particular David Antin, Dore Ashton, Liza Bear, Basil Beattie, Bill BecKley, Jonathan Benthall, Mel Bochner, Marja Bloem, Wieslaw BorowsKi, Victor Burgin, Michael Compton, Richard Demarco, Jan Dibbets, David Dye, John Elderfield, Barry Flanagan, Michael Fried, Herbert George, Hans Haacke, Charles Harrison, PatricK Heron, John Hilliard, Tim Hilton, Albert Irwin, Phillip King, John Latham, Catherine Lampert, Julie Lawson, Lisa Le Feuvre, Sol LeWitt, Lucy Lippard, Roelof Louw, John McEwen, Bruce McLean, Keith Milow, Lynda Morris, Irena Oliver, Dennis Oppenheim, John Perreault, Clive Phillpot, Jan van Raay, Jasia Reichardt, Bridget Riley, Peter Sedgely, Sir Nicholas Serota, Seth Siegelaub, Willoughby Sharp, Keith Sonnier, Barbara Steveni, Charlotte Townsend, David Tremlett, Leslie Waddington, Jack Wendler, Lawrence Weiner, Virginia Whiles and FranK Whitford. I would also liKe to thanK the staff at Tate Gallery Library and Archive and Chelsea College of Art and Design Library and Special Collections, UCL Special Collections and the estate of Charles Harrison and the estate of Barry Flanagan. My colleagues on the Fine Art BA at Chelsea College of Art have discussed the thesis and related ideas with me over many years and have supported my sabbaticals to enable the thesis’s completion to them I owe a debt of gratitude. And I would liKe to thanK Donald Smith the director of Chelsea Space who is an invaluable friend and has been since before the project’s inception. I would liKe to thanK my supervisors Dr Joy Sleeman and Dr Robert Lumley for their continued support, encouragement and good humour over many years. I am also grateful to my examiners Dr Stephen Bury and Dr Tom Gretton for iv probing my methods and urging me to defend and extend this project. I thanK Colin Maitland for his editorial skills in enabling me to smooth way grammatical errors and for his expert proof reading. I also thank Gustavo Grandal-Montero for his assistance and advice and more generally for our discussions on the nature of archives. Last but not least I would like to thanK my family Gertrude, Cornelius and Jeff for their incredible tolerance and help throughout this project and for their uncomplaining longsuffering endurance of mountains of paper in precarious piles throughout our home. I would also liKe to thanK my parents for their support of the venture that sadly neither has seen brought to the fruition of this thesis. v Contents Thesis abstract ii AcKnowledgements iv Contents vi Editorial note x Prologue xi Introduction Peter Townsend’s editorial papers of Studio International 1 magazine, 1965-1975 The thesis 5 Scope of Peter Townsend’s editorial papers - the SI archive, 8 1965 – 1975 Tate Gallery archive 12 History of the magazine 14 GS Whittet’s changes 17 Peter Townsend 1919 – 2006 19 Introducing editorial policy 23 Introducing Key players, editorial staff and contributors 24 NetworKs and hospitality 29 Methods: The death of rubbish: gossip and anecdote in the archive 31 The research project 34 The relationship between anecdote and gossip 35 Considering the archive as a topographical model 38 Vertical and horizontal strata – sifting the archive 40 Chapter 1 Peter Townsend’s appointment and early editorial policy 43 BacKground to Peter Townsend’s terms and appointment 48 The Editorial Advisory Committee 51 Press release and January 1966 editorial statement 54 vi Broadening the networK 57 Appointment of assistants and early policy decisions 58 Editorial office ambience 63 William’s involvement 65 Editorial policy 68 An early crisis 71 Chapter 2 Extending networks: Townsend’s early influential artistic 74 friendships Gabo, the Tate Gallery, Townsend and the April 1966 issue 75 SI’s lunch party for Gabo at the Terrazza Restaurant 81 Simultaneous editorial crisis 83 September 1969 Issue Continuing the Constructivist Dialogues 84 Townsend and Heron 88 SI December 1966 94 Barbara Reise’s first contribution to SI continues the Anglo-US 105 debate Chapter 3 Aspects of Art Called Minimal: Reise’s project for the April 112 1969 Issue Reise’s planning of the April 1969 Issue 117 Reise’s visits to New YorK 118 The cover and contents 124 The exchanges that led to the artist’s pages 130 Correspondences – Flavin and Reise 130 Correspondences – LeWitt and Reise 132 Critical feedback after the magazine’s publication 134 Chapter 4 Charles Harrison’s Editorial Projects 141 Biennale des Jeunes, SI, September 1967 141 The sculpture issue, SI, January 1969 146 BacKground context to the relationship between Joseph Kosuth 148 and SI vii Harrison’s visit to New YorK, April 1969 150 Harrison and Kosuth 158 Art after philosophy 162 Responses to ‘Art after philosophy’ 166 ‘The British Avant Garde’: A joint venture between the New YorK 174 Cultural Center and SI The magazine-catalogue and catalogue 178 The exhibition 183 Responses to the project 188 The influence of the magazine-catalogue and exhibition 190 Chapter 5 Siegelaub’s ‘Summer exhibition, Townsend’s Summer Issue’ 192 Siegelaub-Harrison interview, December 1969 196 Planning and logistics for the summer exhibition issue 198 Ancillary content 202 July/August 1970 magazine-exhibition 204 The six critics’ pages 206 Theoretical frameworks for the issue 219 Chapter 6 Lucy Lippard and SI 225 Groups exhibition, New YorK, November 1969 229 The artist’s projects 231 The SI Groups exhibition project, March 1970 232 Summer 1970 234 The Information exhibition at MoMA, 1970 238 Chapter 7 ‘Stop it, man, you’re fucking up the vibe’ 246 Context for the protest group 249 The Art WorKers’ Coalition 250 The Open Hearing 256 viii Information exhibition and AWC Poster: Q. And babies? 259 A. And babies Planning SI November 1970: focus on art and politics 261 SI November 1970 cover design and content 265 The artist’s reserved rights and transfer of sales agreement 269 Conceptual Art and politics: Siegelaub’s reply to Benjamin 277 Buchloh ‘Gurgles around the Guggenheim’ 279 Chapter 8 Kantor and Beuys: Hilton and Broodthaers: connectivity and 287 the SI archive Constructivism in Eastern Europe 287 Beuys and Kantor at the Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh 292 Kantor at the Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh 295 Beuys and Kantor appear alongside each other in Edinburgh 296 Alan Green and Roger Hilton: Two British painters collaborate 298 with Townsend Roger Hilton: context for Townsend’s commission 299 Roger Hilton’s contributions to SI March 1974 300 Facsimile publication of Hilton’s statement letter 302 Townsend and Broodthaers 306 Broodthaers book dummy SUR L’ART 311 Broodthaers and Townsend, a celebration of their friendship 312 Concluding observations 314 Bibliography 325 Chronology of artist’s cover designs 360 Figures list 365 Figures 372 ix Editorial note Townsend encouraged artists to write and he did not edit idiosyncrasies.