Visual Art Exhibitions and State Identity in the Late Cold War
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Worlds on View: Visual Art Exhibitions and State Identity in the Late Cold War A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Art History, Theory, and Criticism by Nicole Murphy Holland Committee in charge: Professor John C. Welchman, Chair Professor Norman Bryson Professor Robert Edelman Professor Grant Kester Professor Kuiyi Shen 2010 © Nicole Murphy Holland, 2010 All rights reserved. The Dissertation of Nicole Murphy Holland is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2010 iii This dissertation is dedicated to my beloved family, Lindsay, Emily, and Peter Holland, whose unswerving support and devotion has made this project possible. iv I didn’t know at the time that John Wayne was an American icon. I thought the painting was just another picture of a cowboy. Vladimir Mironenko, commenting on the painting John Wayne by Annette Lemieux. v Table of Contents Signature Page……………………………………………………………………… iii Dedication ……………………………………………………………………………iv Epigraph ………………………………………………………………………………v Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………… vi Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………… viii Vita…………………………………………………………………………………… x Abstract………………………………………………………………………………xii Introduction……………………………………………………………………………1 Part 1: Theoretical Underpinnings………………………………………… 12 Part 2: Exhibition Functions……………………………………………… 18 Part 3: The Nature of Exhibition Space…………………………………… 20 Part 4: The Nature and Function of the Opposition and the Avant-Garde… 29 Part 5: Methodology……………………………………………………… 34 Part 6: Chapter Synopses………………………………………………… 37 Chapter One: The Origins of the National Fine Arts Exhibition………………… 45 Part 1: The Crystal Palace Exhibition, 1951 ……………………………… 58 Part 2: Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1855 ……………………………… 63 Part 3: Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1867…………………………………68 Part 4: Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1889 ……………………………… 70 Part 5: The Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893…………………………72 Part 6: The Wanderers………………………………………………………74 Part 7: Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1900 ……………………………… 77 Chapter Two: Twentieth-Century Nationalism: Selected Exhibitions, 1900-1958…82 Part 1: Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, Paris, 1925……………………………………………………… 86 Part 2: Soviet Export Exhibitions, 1920s-1930s……………………………89 Part 3: Exposition Coloniale Internationale de Paris, 1931……………… 106 Part 4: Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne, Paris, 1937……………………………………………………… 110 Part 5: The World’s Fair, New York, 1939……………………………… 121 Part 6: Coda: Brussels, Exposition Universelle et Internationale, 1958… 134 Chapter Three: Cold War Constructs: Diplomatic and Cultural Histories of the Visual Arts Exhibition………………………………………………………… 140 vi Part 1: Cultural Exchange and Exhibitions in the Early Cold War, 1945-1962………………………………………………………………… 141 Part 2: U.S.-U.S.S.R. Cultural Exchange Agreements, 1958-59………… 152 Part 3: Exhibition Exchange 1959: The Soviet Exhibition of Science, Technology and Culture, New York and The American National Exhibition, Moscow……………………………………………………… 156 Part 4: The Family of Man…………………………………………………163 Part 5: Conspiracy Theory…………………………………………………168 Part 6: Early Cold War Exchange: Observations………………………… 172 Part 7: The Emergence of Culture Three………………………………… 175 Part 8: The Severe Style……………………………………………………176 Part 9: The Détente years (1972-1979), the Carter Chill (1980-1985), and the Late Cold War (1985-1991)……………………………………… 183 Part 10: The Bulldozer Exhibition, 1974………………………………… 192 Part 11: Sots Art………………………………………………………… 194 Part 12: The Singular Case of Ilya Kabakov………………………………197 Part 13: Exchange Restart: Glasnost and Perestroika (1985-1991)……… 204 Chapter Four: Worlds on View 10+10: Contemporary Soviet and American Painters …………………………………………………………………………… 210 Part 1: The Ministry of Culture of the U.S.S.R. and InterCultura, Inc.……210 Part 2: The Art of the Quiet: Unofficial Soviet Art of the Last Wave…… 219 Part 3: Glasnost…………………………………………………………… 242 Part 4: 10+10: The Exhibition…………………………………………… 244 Part 5: Histories, Counter-Histories and Codes……………………………255 Part 6: Nostalgia……………………………………………………………268 Part 7: Nostalgia II: The Clown and the Holy Martyr Saint………………269 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………… 281 Appendix: List of Interviews………………………………………………………309 List of Illustrations………………………………………………………………… 312 Illustrations…………………………………………………………………………320 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………… 345 vii Acknowledgments Research for this dissertation has been supported by generous grants from the following, to whom I extend my profound gratitude: the University of California, San Diego, Visual Arts Department, Dissertation Grant; University of California, San Diego, Division of Arts and Humanities, Center for the Humanities, Graduate Student Award; University of California, San Diego, Friends of the International Center Scholarship; University of California, San Diego, Russell Award; and the Wellesley College Stevens Traveling Fellowship. In addition, I would like to thank my committee for their patient, thoughtful and wise review of my work, and their extremely insightful and helpful suggestions. In particular, I acknowledge John C. Welchman, Committee Chair, to whom I extend my deep appreciation for undertaking the supervision of what committee member Norman Bryson once called an “epochal project.” My gratitude to John E. Bowlt (University of Southern California) and Yale Richmond, who opened their personal archives to me for review, as well as to the artists, art critics, art historians, diplomats and government officials in the United States, France and Russia (listed in the Appendix) who consented to be interviewed for this project is enormous. I would also like to thank Anton Bilchik, Nicholas Binkley, John E. Bowlt, James Bradburne, Hilary Brandt, Tressa Hamby, Susan Harris, Julie Hooper, Monica Jovanovich, Barbara Kruger, Dene Leopold, Roberta Manning, Georgy Litichevsky, Martin Manning, Lev Manovich, Brenda and Larry Mills, Viktor Misiano, Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Yale Richmond, Jane Sharp, Gordon Dee Smith, Andrew Solomon, Cindy viii and Tim Wollaeger, and Sandy Worcester for their many kindnesses and helpful suggestions at critical moments of this project. ix Vita Education Ph.D. University of California, San Diego, 2010 M.A. Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, 1972 B.A. Wellesley College, 1971 History of Professional Employment and Activities 2007 Visiting faculty, VIS22, Formations of Modern Art University of California, San Diego (UCSD) 2007 Graduate Teaching Fellow, UCSD, VIS 22 (summer session) 2004-present A.P. Art History Instructor, The Bishop’s School, La Jolla CA 2001-3 Independent Curator and Fundraising Consultant 2000-1 Deputy Director and Director of Development, San Diego Historical Society 1995-2000 Independent Curator and Consultant 1992-1995 Assistant Curator of European Art, San Diego Museum of Art 1986-1991 Executive Vice-President, InterCultura, Fort Worth TX 1978-1986 Associate Curator, Kimbell Art Museum 1972-1978 Curatorial Assistant, Kimbell Art Museum Publications 2009 Catalogue, Dare to Be Simple: Irving Gill and The Bishop’s School, Wheeler J. Bailey Library, The Bishop’s School 2009 Catalogue, Impressionist Treasures from The Irvine Museum, Wheeler J. Bailey Library, The Bishop’s School 2008 “Irving Gill and The Bishop’s School,” Journal of the San Diego Historical Society, Fall, 2008 2007 Catalogue, Maurice Braun: The Hidden Treasure, UCSD, Mandeville Special Collections Library 2001 Curator’s statement, Capturing the Light, Visions of the Land; Southern California Impressionist Landscape Painting, San Diego: San Diego Historical Society 1993 Contributor, San Diego Museum of Art, Selections from the Permanent Collection, San Diego, California 1991 Preface, Mexican Retablo Painting: The Art of Private Devotion, Fort Worth: InterCultura and Dallas: Meadows Museum of Art 1982 “Reassembling a Triptych by Giovanni di Paolo,” The Burlington Magazine, XCCIV 1982 Editor and contributing author, Kimbell Art Museum: Handbook of the Collection 1980 Author, Recent Acquisitions: Prints and Drawings, Kimbell Art Museum 1979 Author, African Art, Kimbell Art Museum x 1978 “Henri Matisse & the Imitation of Christ,” The Print Collector’s Newsletter, IX 1978 Author, Oriental Rugs in the Kimbell Art Museum Conferences and Colloquia 2007 Selected paper, International Graduate Student Conference on the Cold War, org. George Washington University, London School of Economics, and University of California, Santa Barbara, Wash D.C., April 19-21 2006 Presenter, Ph.D. Colloquium, University of California, San Diego Exhibitions/Curatorial 2009 Curator, Dreams and Utopia: Irving Gill’s Designs for The Bishop’s School 2009 Coordinator, San Diego Plein-Air Painters, The Bishop’s School, La Jolla 2007 Curator, Maurice Braun: The Hidden Treasure, Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD 2006 UCSD Visual Research Group coordinator and researcher, Paper Traces: Latin American Prints and Drawings in the Collection of the San Diego Museum of Art 2001 Curator, Capturing the Light, Visions of the Land, San Diego Historical Society Fellowships and Awards 2008 UCSD Friends of the International Center Scholarship 2007 Mary Elvira Stevens Fellowship, Wellesley College UCSD Center for the Humanities Fellowship Award UCSD Department of Visual Arts Dissertation