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Josef Albers: Josef Albers: to Open Eyes Para Abrir Ojos

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BRENDA DANILOWITZ BRENDA DANILOWITZ Josef Albers: Josef Albers: To Open Eyes Para abrir ojos To coincide with an exhibition of Josef Albers’s Para corresponder con la apertura de una exhibi- paintings opening at the Chinati Foundation ción de pinturas de Josef Albers en la Fundación in October 2006, the following pages feature Chinati este octubre, incluimos a continuación un an excerpt from Brenda Danilowitz’s essay in extracto del libro Josef Albers: To Open Eyes por Josef Albers: To Open Eyes, a study of Albers Brenda Danilowitz, un estudio de Albers como as teacher, and essays on the artist written by maestro, y ensayos sobre el artista escritos por Donald Judd over a 30-year period. Donald Judd a lo largo de treinta años. At the very moment Josef and Anni En el preciso momento cuando Josef y Albers found themselves unable to Anni Albers ya no podían imaginar su imagine their future in Germany, the futuro en Alemania, llegó la oferta de offer of a teaching position at Black una cátedra en la Universidad Black Mountain College arrived. This sur- Mountain. Esta sorprendente invitación, prising invitation, which came in the en forma de un telegrama mandado form of a telegram from Philip John- por Philip Johnson, director del nuevo son, then head of the fledgling de- Departamento de Arquitectura y Diseño partment of architecture and design del Museo de Arte Moderno de Nueva at New York’s Museum of Modern York, fue una consecuencia fortuita de Art, was an unintended consequence tres acontecimientos: la dimisión de of three events: John Andrew Rice’s John Andrew Rice de Rolins College en resignation from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, los concomitantes Winter Park, Florida; the attendant despidos y dimisiones solidarias de un dismissals and sympathetic resigna- grupo de colegas de Rice, y el estable- the curriculum] was natural to me. gar central en los estudios] me parecía tions of a group of Rice’s colleagues; cimiento, por este grupo de académicos I think it was one of the things that natural. Creo que fue una de las cosas and the founding by this group of ide- idealistas y decepcionados, de una drew Rice and I together. ”4 Dreier’s que nos unía a Rice y a mí.”4 La madre alistic and disenchanted academics nueva universidad donde aspirarían mother “was in touch with Aunt Kate de Dreier “estaba en contacto con la tía of a new college where they hoped a realizar en forma independiente sus [Katherine Dreier] and some of her Kate [Katherine Dreier], y algunos de to realize, independently, their edu- filosofías y sus sueños en el campo de friends were on the board of the Mu- sus amigos estaban en la mesa directiva cational philosophies and dreams.1 la educación.1 seum of Modern Art.” Through these del Museo de Arte Moderno.” A través Perhaps only at a time like that, at the Quizá sólo en una época como aqué- connections, Ted Dreier learned that de estas conexiones, Ted Dreier se en- depth of the Great Depression, in a lla, en los peores momentos de la Gran Philip Johnson had recently returned teró de que Philip Johnson acababa de general atmosphere of uncertainty Depresión, en un ambiente general de from Germany with news of Albers. regresar de Alemania con noticias de and living on the edge, would five out- incertidumbre y de vida precaria, se “So Rice and I went up [to New York] Albers. “Así es que Rice y yo fuimos [a of-work academics, with scant finan- hubieran atrevido cinco académicos to see Philip Johnson…[he] showed Nueva York] para ver a Philip Johnson… cial resources, have considered such desempleados y con escasos recursos Rice and I pictures of things Albers’s quien nos enseñó a Rice y a mí fotogra- a daunting project.2 Rice, part prag- financieros a emprender semejante students had done, including a pic- fías de las obras que los estudiantes de matist, part visionary, an acquain- proyecto.2 Rice, un hombre práctico ture of a sculpture just made out of Albers habían hecho, incluyendo una tance and follower of John Dewey, pero visionario, amigo y discípulo de wire, and studies of folded paper… escultura hecha sólo de alambre y es- embraced freedom and democracy John Dewey, valoraba la libertad y la the minute Rice saw this, he looked tudios de papel doblado… tan pronto in education, and balked, especially, democracia en la educación, y le des- up and said ‘This is the kind of thing como Rice vio esto fijó su mirada en mí y at the control that donors and wealthy agradaba en particular el control que we want.’ I wrote to Albers and Philip me dijo ’Este es el tipo de cosas que que- trustees were able to exert over col- los donantes y síndicos acaudalados Johnson sent a letter. I told him this remos.’ Yo le escribí a Albers, y Johnson leges and universities. Fortunately for ejercían sobre las universidades. Afor- was a new, pioneering college. I of- mandó una carta. Le dije que la nuestra Rice, one of his staunchest allies and tunadamente para Rice, uno de sus más fered him a thousand dollars and told sería una universidad pionera. Le ofrecí a co-defector from Rollins was phys- acérrimos aliados era el profesor de him to wire back ‘ja’ if the answer mil dólares y le dije que me contestara ics teacher Theodore (Ted) Dreier. física Theodore (Ted) Dreier, otro deser- was yes. The money was put up by ‘ja’ si aceptaba la oferta. El dinero lo Dreier, a passionate idealist, com- tor de la Universidad Rollins. Dreier, un Edward M.M. Warburg of MoMA aportaron Edward M. M. Warburg, del pletely without affectation, was from idealista apasionado y sin afectaciones, and by Mrs. Abby Rockefeller.” 5 MoMA, y la Sra. Abby Rockefeller.” 5 a wealthy and well-connected back- provenía de una familia próspera e in- The Alberses arrived in New York on Llegaron los Albers a Nueva York el vier- ground, and it was he together with fluyente, y fueron él y Rice quienes ob- Friday, 24 November 1933, their nes 24 de noviembre de 1933 en el bar- Rice who found the money to make tuvieron el financiamiento para fundar vessel, the S.S. Europa, having been co S.S. Europa, con una demora de diez a start at Black Mountain College.3 la Universidad Black Mountain.3 Una de delayed by ten hours on account of horas debido a un huracán en alta mar. One of Dreier’s aunts was the now- las tías de Dreier era la ahora legenda- a hurricane at sea. It was Thanksgiv- Fue el fin de semana del Día de Acción legendary Katherine Dreier, painter, ria Katherine Dreier, pintora, patrona ing weekend, and they spent it in de Gracias y lo pasaron en Nueva York, patron, and pioneering collector of de las artes y coleccionista pionera del New York, dining with Ted Dreier’s cenando con los padres de Ted Dreier en avant-garde art. arte de vanguardia. parents in Brooklyn Heights, where Brooklyn Heights, donde conocieron a “We were both interested in life and “Ambos nos interesábamos en la vida y they met “Aunt Kate” and Marcel la tía Kate y a Marcel Duchamp, a quien education,” Ted Dreier told Rice’s la educación”, le dijo Ted Dreier al bió- Duchamp, whom Albers pronounced Albers llamó “un gran tipo”.6 Visitaron biographer sixty years later, “[The grafo de Rice sesenta años más tarde. “a great fellow.”6 They visited the la exhibición de Brancusi en el MoMA, idea that art should be central to “[La idea de que el arte ocupara un lu- Museum of Modern Art’s Brancusi organizada por Duchamp, y conocie- 44 exhibition, which Duchamp had or- ron, entre otros, a Georg Grosz – se- ganized, and met, among others, gún Albers “sehr sympatisch” – y a sus Georg Grosz—according to Albers benefactores Philip Johnson y Edward “sehr sympatisch”—as well as their M. M. Warburg, y al ex estudiante del benefactors, MoMA’s Philip Johnson Bauhaus, Werner Drewes.7 Gracias a la and Edward M.M. Warburg, and ex- publicidad hecha por la madre de Ted Bauhaus student Werner Drewes.7 Dreier, la noticia de la llegada de Josef Thanks to the publicity efforts of Ted Albers, con énfasis en su papel como Dreier’s mother, the news of their ar- educador, apareció en todos los impor- rival, with an emphasis on Josef’s tantes periódicos de Nueva York y tam- role as an educator, was carried in bién de Carolina del N.8 “Hay mucho all the major New York newspapers, interés aquí”, Albers escribió a [Franz] as well as in North Carolina.8 “There Perdekamp. “Quieren escribir sobre no- is a lot of interest here,” Albers wrote sotros en todas partes.”9 to [Franz] Perdekamp, “they want to Pasaron el fin de semana en Nueva write about us everywhere.”9 York y partieron en tren para Carolina They spent the weekend in New del Norte. Al poco tiempo de llegar a York and then took the train to North Black Mountain, con su “hermosa vista . F 10 Carolina. Soon after they reached de las Montañas Blue Ridge”, los Al- JAA . 11 33 Black Mountain, with its “beauti- bers opinaron que era “wunderbar”. 19 La vista panorámica desde el estudio en ful view over the Blue Ridge Moun- MBER E 10 EC tains,” the Alberses reported that it las montañas y el ancho valle Swanna- D 5 was “wunderbar.”11 The panoramic noa le recordaban a Josef las montañas , LLEGE view from his studio of the mountains Harz de Sauerland, donde de niño ha- O C 12 N AI and the wide Swannanoa Valley re- bía pasado sus vacaciones.
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