UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date: 30-Mar-2010 I, Katherine C Cope , hereby submit this original work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Arts in Art History It is entitled: The Kitschiest Gnomes: A Brief Examination of the French Group Présence Panchounette's Activities, Disdain for Conceptualism, and Implementation of Gnomes (1969-1990) Student Signature: Katherine C Cope This work and its defense approved by: Committee Chair: Kimberly Paice, PhD Kimberly Paice, PhD Kristi Ann Nelson, PhD Kristi Ann Nelson, PhD Theresa Leininger-Miller, PhD Theresa Leininger-Miller, PhD 5/3/2010 504 The Kitschiest Gnomes: Présence Panchounette's Activities, Disdain for Conceptualism, and Implementation of Gnomes (1969-1990) A thesis presented to The Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Art History of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning by Katherine C. Cope B.A. Ohio University May 2010 Committee Chair: Kimberly Paice, Ph.D. Abstract The artist collective Présence Panchounette of Bordeaux, France, made significant contributions to contemporary art in France from 1969 until 1990. Here I examine the history, the ideas, and the works of the group, and argue for Présence Panchounette‘s contribution in making contemporary art more accessible to the general public. Within the last few decades, French centers for contemporary art have mounted exhibitions that celebrate the works of Présence Panchounette and its peers, yet little attention has been given to these artists in the United States. The group was among the forerunners of the appropriation movement in France that aimed to analyze the industrialization and commercialism of the 20th century. The Situationist International, Dadaists, and other historical avant-gardes influenced Présence Panchounette‘s interest and participation in the appropriation movement and the group‘s desire to appeal to the proletariat. Présence Panchounette practiced the détournement method of art making, which originated as a Situationist International technique. By the time Présence Panchounette disbanded, it had left giant plastic dwarves in Paris and Bordeaux, France, readymades such as a taxidermy deer head and weight bench with books, and the ―chounette spirit.‖ This ―chounette spirit‖ revoked any intellectual formulization of art works and led to a more casual and enjoyable art form without specialist meanings. I also examine Présence Panchounette‘s use of garden gnomes. The group‘s use of gnomes reinforces notions of kitsch and the common man, much like the rest of the group‘s installation works, in order to appeal to an audience not steeped in historical art references. Présence Panchounette‘s success is evident through the popularity of the group‘s work among the common classes. ii iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I am extremely indebted to the Inter-Library Loan team who tracked down numerous obscure French art catalogues and books for me. Without them I would never have completed this paper. I also wish to thank my wonderful family, especially my husband/editor-in-chief, Russ. A few words of thanks to Dr. Kimberly Paice for allowing me to investigate the little-known French contemporary group of artists and her ability to help me focus my study, and thanks to Dr. who inspired me to go beyond my expectations. Thanks to Dr. Kathryn Lorenz who helped me to translate some very tricky French theoretical writing. Lastly, thanks to Catherine Millet for taking the time to send me some helpful articles and words of encouragement. iv Table of Contents List of Illustrations vi Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Présence Panchounette‘s Early History and Manifesto 9 Chapter 2: Philosophy, Criticism of Others, and Commentary about 26 the Group Chapter 3: The Cultural Gnome 39 Conclusion 56 Illustrations 61 List of Exhibitions 89 Bibliography 90 v List of Illustrations Figure 1. Richard Dumas, Portrait de trois membres de P.P., July 1989, photograph 2. Présence Panchounette, Manifesto, 1969, Présence Panchounette, Présence Panchounette: Œuvres Choisies, Tôme 1. Labège: Centre régional d'art contemporain Midi-Pyrénées, Calais Musée, 1986, 56 3. Présence Panchounette, Installation, 1984, armchair, books, assemblages, paintings, rugs, and other various objects, Galerie Eric Fabre, Paris, France 4. Présence Panchounette (photo: T. Domage), Congo Go!, 1983, grey fan and electric cord 5. Figure 5, Présence Panchounette, À la Penn et à l’honneur, 1983, tennis balls, wedding cake topper, and platter 6. Présence Panchounette, Transition-Valse, 1977, exterior view of gallery installation of wallpaper, Galerie Eric Fabre, Paris France 7. Présence Panchounette, La pression des rêve, 1974, blood pressure monitor, 40 x 91, 5 x 40 cm, Collection du Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, France, © Présence Panchounette 8. Présence Panchounette, La dégénéresence guette les avant-gardes, 1972 –1986, ironing board, iron, shirt, Galerie de Paris, Paris, France 9. Présence Panchounette, Live at Birdland (photo: Jules), 1979, saxophone, table, magazine, lights 10. Présence Panchounette, sans titre (without title), 1988, engraved metal plaque 11. Présence Panchounette, Meublé, coquet, lumineux (image distorted during publication), 1986, sofa and Pierre Soulages‘s Peinture (1984) 12. Information, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2 July – 20 September 1970, Photo © 1995 The Museum of Modern Art, New York 13. Figure 13, Joseph Kosuth, Art as Idea as Idea, Nothing, 1967, photostat mounted on cardboard, 120.7 x 120.7 cm., The Panza Collection, © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, DACS, London 14. Joseph Kosuth, One and Three Chairs (French to English installation), 1965, chair, photograph, and wall text, 200 x 271 x 44 cm, © Adagp, Paris 2007, Paris 2005 vi 15. Présence Panchounette, Le roi des Rennes (left), 1985, deer head, rubber gloves, and plaque, Remake-up (right), 1986, bicycle seat and handle bars 16. Présence Panchounette, Néo-Senoufo (photo: Jules), 1985, primitive bust and children‘s toy Chieftain and canoe, private collection, Bordeaux, France 17. Présence Panchounette, [Snails in Boxing Ring], ca. 1987, snail sculptures, boxing ring, and paint 18. Présence Panchounette, Dans chien il y a niche, dans homme il y a HLM (exterior and interior views), 1989, kennel, carpet, chandelier, and painted cloth, 90 x 53 x 89 cm, Le Frac-Collection Aquitaine 19. Rien Poortvliet, 1979, book cover, Wil Huygen, Gnomes, New York: A Peacock Press/Bantam Book, 1979 20. Albert Hurter, Gustaf Tenggren, and Ferdinand Hovarth, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937, movie poster, © Walt Disney 21. Roaming Gnome, advertising image, © 1996-2010 Travelocity.com LP 22. Présence Panchounette, Clément Greenberg et Jacques Soulillon [sic] discutant des mérites comparés de peintures contemporaines, 1978, paint, gnome figurines, and various materials, Galerie de Paris, France 23. Présence Panchounette, Wham!, 1987, gnome figurine, cart, canvas, and paint, F.R.A.C. Nord – Pas de Calais, France 24. Louise Lawler, Pollock and Tureen, 1984, silver dye bleach print, 71.1 x 99.1 cm, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift through Joyce and Robert Menschel and Jennifer and Joseph Duke Gift, 2000, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.434, New York, New York, © Louise A. Lawler 25. Présence Panchounette (photo: A. Morain), Tour de Babil, 1985, various materials, gnome figurine, and books 26. Présence Panchounette, The boss 'Dwarf! Dwarf! I, ca. 1980s, painted plastic, 2.3 m high, Collection Ben, ©François Fernandez, 2000 27. Présence Panchounette, Dwarf Dwarf II, 1989, statue of gnome/dwarf 28. Présence Panchounette, Dwarf Dwarf III, ca. 1980s, statue of gnome/dwarf vii Introduction Understanding non-traditional artists is important because these outliers to the history of art may add an interesting and expanded view of American art and contemporary art in general. In my study, I examine one such group from France called Présence Panchounette, which was active from 1969 until 1990. My study focuses on Panchounette‘s satirical installation art, which the members designed to expose the absence of mass-cultural themes in the avant-garde art of the mid-to-late 20th century. By studying Panchounette‘s criticism of conceptualism and the group‘s appeal to a non-specialist audience, I am contributing an alternative view of avant-garde art of the late 20th century. Panchounette‘s primary objective was to critique contemporary art that did not relate to the general public or to the market place. To achieve its objective, Panchounette created catalogues and installations specifically aimed at the public. I investigate the group‘s attempt to make contemporary art more accessible to the public through its combination of satire and readymades. To illustrate Panchounette‘s desire to appeal to a mass audience, I discuss the significance of Panchounette's use of kitsch garden gnomes in installations. The gnome is a legendary character, which has been embodied into sculptural form for mass consumption. Panchounette incorporates the gnome figurine into some of its installations to relate to the common consumer and to share a sense of silliness as reported in the group‘s manifesto. The success of Panchounette is attributable to its use of everyday objects in its assemblages and the simplicity of its art works. While this study is not a comprehensive examination of Panchounette, it is a general overview of Panchounette‘s objectives as a group, works, philosophy, and criticism. 1 The history surrounding Panchounette‘s inception and growth is crucial to understanding the story of Panchounette in France. Events including the events of May 1968 and the formation of the Situationist International took place in France affected the future members of Panchounette by endearing the members to the concept of the proletariat. The revolutionary events of May 1968 involved numerous students‘ occupations and laborers‘ strikes in response to the government‘s treatment of them.1 Panchounette‘s members participated as students in Les événements. Around the same time, the Situationist International formed and also took part in Les événements.