Cover A&T Copyright ® 197 I by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 74-146884 SBN: 87587-044-9 A Report on the Art and Technology Program of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art 1967-1971 Contents: A&T 7 Acknowledgments 9 Introduction: Maurice Tuchman 43 Thoughts on Art and Technology: Jane Livingston 49 Participating Artists 361 Participating Corporations Acknowledgments A&T The Museum's Contemporary Art Council has sponsored In organizing the preview exhibition of eight artists' and supported /4rt amy Technology from its inception in work from the A&T program for the United States late 1966 to the present time. I am grateful to this Pavilion at Expo 70, I worked closely with Jack Masey, devoted group, and particularly to its Chairmen during Deputy Commissioner General, Patricia Ezell, Exhibits the five-year development of the program— Harry Sher- Project Officer, and Designer Ray Komai. In Los wood, Dr. Judd iVlarmor and Mrs. Joann Phillips. Angeles, New York and Osaka, Japan there were con- tinual meetings with the designers of the Expo Exhibi- Mrs. Otis Chandler was the primary figure responsible tion Design Team, Davis, Brody, Chermayeff, Geismar, for corporation involvement. She worked indefatigably de Harak, Associates. Designers David Sutton, Yasuo with me to obtain company support for almost three Uesaka, Gary Jacquemin and Tom Kuboda were also at years. the site and involved in the installation of that exhibition. David Antin, Director of the Art Gallery, University of California, San Diego, was commissioned by Viking Press Eric Saarinen & Associates were commissioned by us and in January, 1968 to write a book about the A&T Container Corporation of America to make a film on the program. He was an important source of information exhibition at Expo 70. The film will be presented during about technical matters as well as artistic concerns. the period of the Museum exhibition. In the sections in this book on the eight Expo artists— Newton Harrison, Dr. Richard Feynman, Tolman Professor of Theoretical Rockne Krebs, Roy Lichtenstein, Boyd Mefferd, Claes Physics, California Institute of Technology, served as Oldenburg, Tony Smith, Andy Warhol, Robert Whit- Consultant to A & T. Dr. Feynman met most of the man—all quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from artists involved in the more esoteric areas of corporation tapes made by Howard Chesley of Eric Saarinen & technology and acted as translator and guide. He was Associates throughout 1970. available to artists who needed him. James Kenion, Art Transportation Coordinator, was at Nina Kaiden Wright, Director of Fine Arts at Ruder and the Osaka site with me for the three month installation Finn, Inc., also served as Consultant to A & T, and, of the "New Arts" exhibition in the U.S. Pavilion. Cecil among other suggestions, helped enlist the Hudson Fergerson, Museum Assistant II, assisted him in Japan in Institute as a Sponsor Corporation. dismantling the show when Expo closed. Kenion, Ferger- son and Head of Technical Services James Allen will be In the course of developing this program many individuals in charge of the Museum installation, along with Elliott made helpful suggestions. I want particularly to thank Hutchinson, Head of Construction and Maintenance, and Clinton Adams, Michael Blankfort, Paul Brach, Sidney F. his Assistant Roy Ingalls. The staffs in these sections will Brody, Eugenia Butler, James Butler, Leo Castelli, be called on in unprecedented ways. Ben Johnson, Elizabeth Coffelt, Dorothe Curtis, Louis Danziger, Conservator, will supervise the operational aspects of the L. Claridge Davis, Henry Dreyfuss, Monte Factor, works. Edward Fry, Ken Glen, Henry Hopkins, Malcolm Levinthal, Dr. Franklin Murphy, Jerald Ordover, Tal- My secretary Florence Hairston worked on A & T from madge Reed, Jasia Reichardt, Pierre Restany, George its inception in 1966. In typing manuscripts throughout Rickey, Barbara Rose, Dr. Daniel Rosenthal, Richard this time she was assisted by Barbara McQuaide and Sherwood, Fred Usher, Jan van der Marck, and Robert Diane Turner. In preparing this Report, the manuscript Weinstein. was read by William Osmun, Senior Curator, Jeanne Doyle, Coordinator of Exhibitions and Publications, and Malcolm Lubliner was commissioned to record photo- Joanne Jaffe, Publications Associate. The writer Frederic graphically the encounters between artists and Tuten also read the manuscript and made helpful com- corporations. ments. William Crutchfield was commissioned to interpret In planning the exhibition for the Museum, I benefited graphically the more significant interactions—his draw- from the expertise of Lawrence Morton, Curator of ings appear throughout the introduction to this Report. Music, and Robert Raitch, Audio-Visual Coordinator, Educational Services. Vincent Robbins, Head Graphic James Lowery wrote the descriptions of participating Artist, rendered diagrams of artists Rockne Krebs and corporations in the final section of this book. Manny Newton Harrison. A volunteer worker, Mrs. Grace Silverman and Jerry Solomon of Art Services, Inc., Spencer, helped in research and in maintaining the rendered many gratuities to visiting artists in the course voluminous records on the project. of the program. At our request, hospitality was generously offered to visiting artists in Los Angeles by Dr. and Mrs. Leonard Asher, Mr. and Mrs. James Butler, Mr. and Mrs. Monte Factor, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Grinstein, Mr. and Mrs. Melville Kolliner and Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Tyler. In New York, London and Paris several individuals gra- ciously allowed us the use of their homes for receptions and meetings with artists: Mme. Celine Chalem, Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Chermayeff, Mr. and Mrs. William Copley, Henry Hecht, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lloyd and Nina Kaiden Wright. In Paris, Jean-Franqois Jaeger, Director of the Galerie Jeanne Bucher, and Denise Rene' were also helpful in arranging meetings. James Monte and Hal Glicksman, both former Assistant Curators of Modern Art, each worked on A & T for approximately a year. Irena Shapira served as Coordina- tor of A & T in its early stages and until January, 1969. The planning and execution of A & T, and the extensive documentation of the program in this book, is the result of close and continual interaction over the past three years between myself and Associate Curator Jane Livingston, Assistant Curator Gail Scott and Special Assistant Betty Asher. It has been a pleasure for me to work with them. Each of us is responsible for the accounts of artists' involvement in part 3 of this book, which was finished in November, 1970, but the primary drafting of narratives on James Byars, John Chamberlain, Jean Dupuy, Oyvind Fahlstrom, Irwin- Turrell, Rockne Krebs, Jackson MacLow, Tony Smith, Andy Warhol and Jesse Reichek is by Jane Livingston; the accounts of Newton Harrison, R. B. Kitaj, Roy Lichtenstein, Boyd Mefferd, Robert Morris, Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Serra and Robert Whitman are by Gail Scott; and Betty Asher selected and collated most of the photographs and other materials on artists. Maurice Tuchman Senior Curator, Modern Art Director, Art & Technology Introduction A&T Maurice Tucliman In 1966, wlien Art and Technology was first conceived, I scheme before it was made public, avoiding any embar- had been living in Southern California for two years. A rassment or significant financial loss to the institution. newcomer to this region is particularly sensitive to the Other than on a practical level, I maintained that this futuristic character of Los Angeles, especially as it is project was a proper undertaking for a Museum, and manifested in advanced technology. I thought of the represented an opportunity to play an innovative role. It typical Coastal industries as chiefly aerospace oriented would draw attention to the acknowledged need in the (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lockheed Aircraft); or U. S. for institutions responsive to the interests of geared toward scientific research (The Rand Corpora- society— in this case, the interests of artists, and perhaps tion, TRW Systems); or connected with the vast cinema even businessmen. The Board gave me tacit consent to and TV industry in Southern California (Universal Film go ahead and study the possibilities, with the program Studios). At a certain point— it is difficult to reconstruct still subject to their approval. the precise way in which this notion finally emerged consciously— I became intrigued by the thought of I prepared a case with which to solicit corporation in- having artists brought into these industries to make volvement, centered on three main lines of approach works of art, moving about in them as they might in which I calculated to be of interest to the business com- their own studios. In the beginning, as I was considering munity. I argued that corporate donations to the arts, this idea as just an abstract concept, I had few concrete which were infinitesimal compared to support of medi- visions of what might actually result from such ex- cal and educational facilities, should be enlarged. This changes. Indeed I was not certain whether artists of would benefit them, as much as the recipient museums, calibre would desire such involvement with industry. operas, theatres, etc., since businesses benefit from prox- And if they did, and an organized program could be imity to thriving cultural resources in attracting talented instituted to give them such opportunities, I had no idea personnel. I also pointed out that the companies' collab- how to go about persuading corporations to receive orations with artists might well result in major works of artists their facilities— into nor for that matter, why they art, and I decided that one work of art made with any should want to. significantly cooperative corporation should be offered to that corporation. (It became clear very early that a In reviewing modern art history, one is easily convinced high proportion of the companies would view this pos- of the gathering esthetic urge to realize such an enter- sibility as a salient motive for collaboration.) Most im- prise as I was envisioning.