Exhibitions in France As Symbolic Domination: Images of Postmodernism and Cultural Field in the 1980S
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arts Article Exhibitions in France as Symbolic Domination: Images of Postmodernism and Cultural Field in the 1980s Marianna Charitonidou 1,2,3 1 Department of Architecture, Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture (GTA), ETH Zurich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; [email protected] 2 School of Architecture of National Technical University of Athens, 42 Patission Street, 106 82 Athens, Greece 3 Faculty of Art History and Theory of Athens School of Fine Arts, 42 Patission Street, 106 82 Athens, Greece Abstract: The article examines a group of exhibitions that took place in the late seventies and early eighties and are useful for grasping what was at stake regarding the debates on the tensions between modernist and post-modernist architecture. Among the exhibitions that are examined are Europa- America: Architettura urbana, alternative suburbane, curated by Vittorio Gregotti for the Biennale di Venezia in 1976; La Presenza del passato, curated by Paolo Portoghesi for the Biennale di Venezia in 1980; the French version of La presenza del passato—Présence de l’histoire, l’après modernisme—held in the framework of the Festival d’Automne de Paris in 1981; Architectures en France: Modernité/post- modernité, curated by Chantal Béret and held at the Institut Français d’Architecture (18 November 1981–6 February 1982); La modernité, un projet inachevé: 40 architectures, curated by Paul Chemetov and Jean-Claude Garcias for the Festival d’Automne de Paris in 1982; La modernité ou l’esprit du temps, curated by Jean Nouvel, Patrice Goulet, and François Barré and held at the Centre Pompidou in 1982; and Nouveaux plaisirs d’architecture, curated by Jean Dethier for the Centre Pompidou in 1985, among other exhibitions. Analysing certain important texts published in the catalogues of the aforementioned exhibitions, the debates that accompanied the exhibitions and an ensemble of Citation: Charitonidou, Marianna. articles in French architectural magazines such as L’Architecture d’aujourd’hui and the Techniques & 2021. Exhibitions in France as Architecture, the article aims to present the questions that were at the centre of the debates regarding Symbolic Domination: Images of the opposition or osmosis between the modernist and postmodernist ideals. Some figures, such as Postmodernism and Cultural Field in Jean Nouvel, were more in favour of the cross-fertilisation between modernity and postmodernity, the 1980s. Arts 10: 14. https:// while others, such as Paul Chemetov, believed that architects should rediscover modernity in order to doi.org/10.3390/arts10010014 enhance the civic dimension of architecture. Following Pierre Bourdieu’s approach, the article argues that the tension between the ways in which each of these exhibitions treats the role of the image Academic Editor: Michelle Facos within architectural design and the role of architecture for the construction of a vision regarding Received: 22 December 2020 progress is the expression of two divergent positions in social space. Accepted: 8 February 2021 Published: 12 February 2021 Keywords: postmodernism; France; Paul Chemetov; Jean Nouvel; Centre Georges Pompidou; exhibitions; Pierre Bourdieu; symbolic domination; cultural field Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. 1. Introduction The exhibition La modernité, un projet inachevé: 40 architectures (The Modernity, an unfinished project: 40 architectures) (Figure1)(Chemetov and Garcias 1982), curated by Paul Chemetov and Jean-Claude Garcias and held in the Palais des études of the École des Copyright: © 2021 by the author. Beaux-Arts in Paris between 30 September and 15 November 1982 in the framework of Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. the Festival d’Automne, aimed to show that, in contrast with the international context, the This article is an open access article modern tradition in France was not characterised by continuity. This hypothesis could distributed under the terms and be opposed to Walter Gropius’s view in (Gropius 1964) “Tradition and Continuity in conditions of the Creative Commons Architecture”, published in Architectural Record in 1964. Chemetov and Garcias, through Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// the aforementioned exhibition, aimed to address the role of architects within a generalised creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ context of massification of their action. As Paul Chemetov underlines in the catalogue, one 4.0/). Arts 2021, 10, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts10010014 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/arts Arts 2021, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 21 Arts 2021, 10, 14 2 of 20 context of massification of their action. As Paul Chemetov underlines in the catalogue, one ofof thethe mainmain objectivesobjectives ofof thethe exhibitionexhibition waswas toto showshow thatthat“for “for France,France, Jean-PaulJean-Paul Sartre’sSartre's CritiqueCritique dede lala raisonraison dialectiquedialectique roserose upup againstagainst thethe socialistsocialist complexcomplex ofof progressprogress andand againstagainst thethe one-dimensionalityone-dimensionality [[…] . ]of of historical historical materialism” materialism” (Sartre (Sartre 19601960;; ChemetovChemetov 1982a1982a).). AΑ questionquestion thatthat dominated dominated architectural architectural discourse discourse during during the the years years of theof the crisis crisis of modernityof moder- concernednity concerned the ways the ways in which in which these these changes changes influenced influenced the statusthe status of architecture of architecture as an as artan representativeart representative of culture of culture and and history. history. Relevant Relevant for understanding for understanding the view the view developed devel- byoped Chemetov by Chemetov and Garcias and Garcias in the in aforementioned the aforementioned exhibition exhibition was was Sartre’s Sartre’s conception conception of theof the engaged engaged intellectual. intellectual. According According to to Sartre, Sartre, the the intellectual’s intellectual’s engagement engagement shouldshould bebe understoodunderstood asas linkedlinked toto thethe humanhuman condition.condition. MoreMore specifically,specifically, forfor Sartre,Sartre, thethe intellectualintellectual isis aa restlessrestless soulsoul whowho feelsfeels illill atat easeease inin thethe societysociety ofof hishis timetime becausebecause hehe nono longerlonger wantswants toto expressexpress the the objective objective spirit spirit of of his his class class or or to to put put his his universal universal knowledge knowledge at theat the service service of particularof particular interests. interests. FigureFigure 1.1. Front cover cover of of Paul Paul Chemetov, Chemetov, Jean-Claude Jean-Claude Garcias, Garcias, eds. eds. 1982. 1982. La ModerniteLa Modernit́, uné, projet un projet inachevinacheveé:́: 4040 architectesarchitectes.. Paris:Paris: ÉÉditionsditions dudu Moniteur.Moniteur. TheThe cataloguecatalogue ofof thethe exhibitionexhibition LaLa modernitmodernité,é, unun projetprojet inachevinachevé:é: 4040 architecturesarchitectures in-in- cludedcluded KennethKenneth Frampton’s Frampton’s “R é“Réfléxionsfléxions sur sur l’état l’état de la de modernit la modernité:é: fragments fragments polémiques” polé- (miques”Frampton (Frampton 1982), Jean-Claude 1982), Jean-Claude Garcias’s “LaGarcias’s modernit “Laé modernitéla plus récente” la plus (Garcias récente” 1982 (Garcias), Jür- gen1982), Habermas’s Jürgen Habermas’s “L’autre tradition” “L’autre (tradition”Habermas (Habermas 1982), and “Le1982), postmodernisme and “Le postmodernisme ou la peur desou la conflits” peur des (Schmidt conflits” 1982 (Schmidt, 1986) by1982, German 1986) philosopher by German Burghartphilosopher Schmidt. Burghart It concluded Schmidt. withIt concluded a text by Paulwith Chemetova text by entitledPaul Chemetov “Inachev éentitled, parce qu’inachevable”“Inachevé, parce (Chemetov qu’inachevable” 1982a), in(Chemetov which the 1982a), author suggestedin which the readdressing author suggest the questionsed readdressing raised by the the questions modern movement raised by throughthe modern a critical movement re-evaluation through a of critical its strategies. re-evaluation Reading of its “La strategies. Biennale Reading de Venise: “La criseBien- etnale ornements”, de Venise: publishedcrise et ornements”, in Techniques published & Architecture in Techniquesin October & Architecture 1982 (Chemetov in October 1982b 1982, p.(Chemetov 152)—that 1982b, is to say,p. 152)—that the same is year to say, that theLa same modernit yearé, that un projet La modernité, inachevé un: 40 projet architectures inachevé: was40 architectures held—one is was confronted held—one with theis confronted anti-postmodernist with the view anti-postmodernist of Chemetov. view of Chemetov.The same year as La modernité, un projet inachevé: 40 architectures, another exhibition also tookThe placesame inyear Paris, as La this modernité, time at the un Centreprojet inachevé: Pompidou: 40 architecturesLa modernité, ouanother l’esprit exhibition du temps (alsoModernity took place or the in spirit Paris, of this the time times at)( Nouvelthe Centre et al.Pompidou: 1982), curated La modernité by Jean ou Nouvel, l'esprit du Patrice temps Goulet,(Modernity and or François the spirit Barr of theé. Comparing times) (Nouvel the argumentset al. 1982), of curated the two by exhibitions Jean Nouvel, could Patrice help us to grasp the tension between the modernist and postmodernist stance in architecture Arts 2021, 10, x FOR PEER