David Yust, Circular Composition (#11 Round), 1969
UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS 1400 Remington Street, Fort Collins, CO artmuseum.colostate.edu allicarmuseum@colostate.edu | (970) 491-1989 TUES - SAT | 10 A.M.- 6 P.M. THURSDAY OPEN UNTIL 7:30 P.M. ALWAYS FREE
OFF KILTER, ON POINT ART OF THE 1960s FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION ABOUT THE COLLECTION Drawing on the museum’s longstanding strength in 20th-century art of the United States and Europe and including long-time visitor favorites and recent acquisitions, Off Kilter, On Point: Art of the 1960s from the Permanent Collection highlights the depth and breadth of mid-century artworks in the museum permanent collection. The exhibition showcases a wide range of media and styles, from abstraction to pop, presenting novel juxtapositions that reflect the tumult and innovations of their time. The 1960s marked a time of undeniable turbulence and strife but also a period of remarkable cultural and societal change. The decade saw the civil rights movement and the Civil Rights Act, the Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam conflict, political assassinations, the moon landing, the first televised presidential debate, “The Pill,” and, arguably, a more rapid rate of technological advancement and cultural change than ever before. The accelerated pace of change was well reflected in the art of the time, where styles and movements were almost constantly established, often in reaction to one another. This exhibition presents most of the major stylistic trends of art of the 1960s in the United States and Europe, drawn from the museum’s permanent collection. An art collection began taking shape at CSU long before there was an art museum and art of the 1960s was an early focus. In the late 1970s, the University established a relationship with John and Kimiko Powers, avid collectors of contemporary American art, especially Pop art. John Powers was president of the educational publisher Prentice Hall. The Powers were instrumental in bringing a great many artists and their works to the CSU campus for lectures and exhibitions, including Carl Andre, Willem DeKooning, Sam Francis, Red Grooms, Richard Hunt, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, and Andy Warhol. The Powers also donated works by many of these artists to the University. The University’s art museum was founded in 2009 with a collection of approximately 1,500 objects transferred from around campus. Since then, it has grown to more than 3,500 objects. Polly and Mark Addison have also made significant contributions to this area of the collection, in addition to more contemporary works. Mark Addison taught art history at the University of Colorado, Boulder for many years and has a discerning eye for what makes a particular work of art significant. Other selections in this exhibition were gifts of the artists or their estates, or gifts from other collectors. Museums, and especially university museums, rely almost exclusively on donations to grow our collections and we are deeply grateful for the generosity that has made this exhibition and this museum possible. Lynn Boland, Ph.D., Director and Chief Curator
ART OF THE 1960S: STYLES AND STRATEGIES IN CRITICAL DISCOURSE* BODY ART Art in which the artist’s body is involved as both the primary object and subject of the work. CONCEPTUAL ART Art in which the idea presented is more important than the finished product, if there is one. HAPPENING An artistic performance featuring audience participation, usually with some degree of improvisation and simultaneity. HARD EDGE A form of geometrically abstract painting characterized by clearly defined edges, often of a limited palette of bright, unvarying colors, in contrast to the usually blurred or soft edges of Color Field painting of the 1950s. INSTALLATION Site-specific art constructed within a particular space, usually a gallery, often creating an immersive environment and intended to alter perceptions of the space or to create a conceptual experience.
MULTI-MEDIA Art incorporating new technologies in combination, as distinct from mixed media, which refers to art making use of traditional artistic media in combination. NEO-DADA Art that has similarities in method or intent to earlier Dada works of art, exemplified by the use of contemporary materials and imagery, often banal or found, and sometimes incorporating absurd humor; also referred to as proto-pop. NEW MEDIA ART Art incorporating new technologies, often in combination, especially video art, sound art, and computer art; also called electronic art when using electronics. OP ART A form of geometrically abstract art that creates optical illusions, often the illusion of movement, using precise patterns of shape and color. PERFORMANCE ART Art requiring a human presence to enact the work in addition to the viewer(s).
KINETIC ART Art that moves; sometimes used to refer to art in which optical effects create the illusion of movement (see op art, below).
POP ART Art appropriating contemporary popular culture, often in tandem with other commercial strategies.
LAND ART Art involving the manipulation of a natural landscape, also known as earthworks and environmental art; it can be either on site (usually on a large scale) or brought into an artistic venue.
POST-MINIMALISM Art following minimalism chronologically and stylistically, employing the strategies and aesthetics of minimalism as a reference point but disrupting minimalism’s meanings, often by incorporating other contemporary trends in art or by reinvesting an expressive quality.
LIGHT AND SPACE An artistic style characterized by a focus on perceptual phenomena, such as light, volume, and scale, and by the use of new materials, often forming installations conditioned by the work’s surroundings; arose largely from minimalism in southern California. MINIMALISM Art employing extreme simplification of form and color to emphasize literal aspects of an object, often to investigate the experience of deductive patterns, relationships of viewer and object, or other formal or experiential concerns.
SYSTEM ART Art created according to a preconceived set of rules or guidelines, which is more important than the finished product. VIDEO ART Art incorporating moving visual images from video, distinguished from video entertainment by its artistic intent and its dispensing with the conventions of television, cinema, etc. (e.g., actors, dialogue, narrative); sometimes also used to describe works in film. *Disclaimer: artists themselves rarely feel the need to work exclusively within a particular stylistic category.
CHICANO ART MOVEMENT*
seconD-wave feminism*
Specifically African-Americans?
Is there something?
* ADD TO RESULTS AND CONTINUE
Does it specifically
Is it about certain people being oppressed by society?
Specifically women?
Specifically Mexican-Americans?
START HERE
Is someone doing something?
Are you part of it?
HAPPENING
Do you see or hear anything?
PERFORMANCE ART
This chart is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Its primary intent is to be humorous—admittedly of a rather specialized sort—but even so, it does correctly identify the relevant style most of the time.
See?
VIDEO ART
color field
Abstract expressionism
OP ART
HARD EDGE
Do the form have clear edges?
Is it colorful?
Is it messy?
Does it look like it is moving when you move?
systemS ART
Is it made with plastic?
Neo-dada
post- minimalism
POP ART
Does it have bright colors and clear forms?
Does it use someone’s body?
conceptual ART
Does it rely on external associations?
Is it a recognizable image?
content: Lynn Boland | design: Silvia MInguzzi
NEW MEDIA ART
Does it have a plug?
Is it totally abstract?
question the definition of art?
KINETIC ART
Does it move?
Is it sculpture?
Does it use clear rules?
black arts movement*
space
minimalism
Light
LAND ART
Does it use dirt?
BODY ART
sound ART
OFF KILTER, ON POINT: Art of the 1960s from the Permanent Collection
CHECKLIST Robert Motherwell b. Aberdeen, Wisconsin; active in New York, New York, 1915; d. Provincetown, Massachusetts, 1991 Untitled (Open), 1968 Lithograph on paper 9 x 5 1/2 in. Gift of Polly and Mark Addison, 2017.1.17 Albert Kotin b. Minsk, Belarus, 1907; d. New York, New York, 1980 Samurai, 1966 Oil on canvas 18 x 14 in. Gift of Keith Robinson in honor of Beth Garretson, 2017.9.1 Agathe Sorel b. Budapest, Hungary, 1935; lives in London Everyday Irreality, 1964 Line engraving, sugar aquatint, drilled and mirror foil collage on paper 24 x 28 in. University transfer, 2004.25 Anthony Magar b. London, England, 1936; active in New York, New York and Taos, New Mexico Scultpure proposal drawing for Aspen-Tocon, 1968 Graphite and collage on paper 34 x 25 1/4 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, T027.7 Drawing for sculpture proposal (yellow), 1967 Graphite, colored pencil, and collage on paper 24 1/16 x 18 13/16 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, T027.4 24 Drawing for sculpture proposal (red), 1967 Graphite and colored pencil on paper 24 1/16 x 18 13/16 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, T027.5 24 Drawing for sculpture proposal (blue), 1967 Graphite and collage on paper 24 1/16 x 18 13/16 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, T027.2 24 Charles Hinman Syracuse, New York, 1932; active in New York, New York Cascade, 1965 Acrylic on shaped canvas 86 x 102 x 10 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, 1976.1.1 Friedel Dzubas b. Berlin, Germany, 1915; active in New York, New York, and Cambridge, Massachussets; d. Auburndale, Massachussets, 1994 Center Red, 1964 Oil on canvas 46 1/8 x 46 1/8 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, 2006.118 David Yust b. Wichita, Kansas, 1939; lives in Fort Collins, Colorado Circular Composition (#11 Round), 1969
Acrylic on shaped canvas 42 x 42 x 5 in. University Purchase Award, 2006.131 Herbert Bayer Bayer. Haag am Hausruck, Austria, 1900; d. Montecito, California; active in Dessau, Germany and Aspen, Colorado, 1985 Two Chromatic Corners, 1967 Screenprint on paper 19 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. Gift of Polly and Mark Addison, 2017.1.4 Spectral Gate, 1967 Screenprint on paper 19 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. Gift of Polly and Mark Addison, 2017.1.3 Helen Gerardia b. Ekaterinoslav, Russia, now Dnipro, Ukraine, 1903; d. New York, New York, 1988 Equidistant, ca. 1965 Color linoleum cut on paper 20 1/2 x 25 1/4 in. University Transfer, CSU, T037 World Divided, ca. 1965 Color linoleum cut on paper 20 x 15 7/8 in. University Transfer, CSU, T443 Bridget Riley b. London, England, 1931 Untitled (Fragment 7) from “Fragments”, 1965 Screenprint on Perspex acrylic 18 7/8 x 37 3/4 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, 1982.3.1 Untitled (Fragment 6) from “Fragments”, 1965 Screenprint on Perspex acrylic 28 1/8 x 27 7/8 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, 1982.3.5 Untitled (Fragment 4) from “Fragments”, 1965 Screenprint on Perspex acrylic 26 7/8 x 25 13/16 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, 1982.3.2 Untitled (Fragment 2) from “Fragments”, 1965 Screenprint on Perspex acrylic 26 7/8 x 25 13/16 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, 1982.3.4 Untitled (Fragment 1) from “Fragments”, 1965 Screenprint on Perspex acrylic 25 7/16 x 31 7/8 in. Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, 1982.3.3 Chryssa [Chryssa Vardea-Mavromichali] b. Athens, Greece, 1933; active in New York, Ndw York; d. Athens, Greece, 2013 Red N’s, ca. 1968 Painted wood and plexiglas 26 1/4 x 31 3/4 x 3 3/8 in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Aron B. Katz, 1984.1.2
Ray Johnson b. Detroit, Michigan, 1927; d. Sag Harbor, New York, 1995 A 2-Year-Old Girl Choked to Death Today on an Easter Egg (SMS # 2), 1968 Duotone on photo paper sheet 10 3/4 x 6 5/8 in. Gift of Lynn Boland and Katherine McQueen Lawrence Weiner b. New York, New York, 1942 Turf, Shake and String (SMS #5), 1968 Ink on Kleen-Stik paper Promised gift on loan from private collection Christo [Christo Vladimirov Javacheff] b. Gabrovo, Bulgaria, 1935 Store Front (SMS #1), 1966-67, published 1968 Offset print with Mylar collage additions Promised gift on loan from private collection Marcel Duchamp b. Blainvill-Crevon, France, 1887; d. Neuilly-sur- Seine, France, 1968 Contrepeterie Record (SMS #2 cover), 1968 7” vinyl record with embossed text printed in white ink on black paper mounted on heavy paper folder Promised gift on loan from private collection Lil Picard b. Landau, Germany, 1899; d. New York, New York, 1994 Burned Bow Tie (SMS #4), 1968 Burned bow tie Promised gift on loan from private collection Man Ray b. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1890; d. Paris, France, 1976 The Father of Mona Lisa (SMS #3), 1967/1968 Offset lithograph on paper Promised gift on loan from private collection Lee Lozano b. Newark, New Jersey, 1930; d. Dallas, Texas, 1999 Thesis, (All men are hardly created equal) (SMS #2), 1968 Booklet of reproduced typewritten pages with illustrations Promised gift on loan from private collection Hannah Weiner b. Providence, Rhode Island;, 1928 d. New York, New York, 1997 Signal Flag Poem (SMS #3), 1968 Booklet with four printed pages, text and drawings Gift of Lynn Boland and Katherine McQueen Bruce Nauman b. Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1941 Footsteps (SMS #5), 1968 Sound recording on ¼ in. tape and printed text on folded card Gift of Lynn Boland and Katherine McQueen John Cage b. Los Angeles, California, 1912; d. New York, New York, 1992 Diary: How to Improve the World (You Will Only Make Matters Worse) continued 1968 (SMS #4), 1968 Booklet with colored ink on mylar cover Promised gift on loan from private collection Bruce Conner b. McPherson, Kansas, 1933; d. San Francisco, California, 2008 Legal Tender (SMS # 2), 1968 Green and black ink on paper: 20 “dollar bills” Promised gift on loan from private collection
James Lee Byars b. Detroit, Michigan; d. Cairo, Egypt, 1932–1997 Black Dress (SMS #1), 1968 Ink on black tissue paper Gift of Lynn Boland and Katherine McQueen Robert Indiana b. New Castle, Indiana, 1928; d. Vinalhaven, Maine, 2018 American Dream #5, from “The Golden Five,” 1980 (after 1963) Screenprint on paper 26 3/4 x 26 3/4 in. Gift of William Gray, 2005.106 Roy Lichtenstein New York, New York, 1923–1997 Foot Medication, 1963 Lithograph on paper 23 x 17 in. University Transfer, CSU, T439 Andy Warhol Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, active in New York, New York, 1928–1987 Paris Review Poster, 1967 Screenprint with die-cut holes on paper 37 x 27 1/8 in. Gift of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., 2013.8.1 After Warhol Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1928–1987 The Souper Dress, 1966–67 Color screenprint on cotton paper, A-line dress 40 x 30 x 2 in. Gift of Raleigh and Edith (Amend) Brooks, 2013.6 Takis [Panayotis Vassilakis] b. Athens, Greece, 1925 Sphère electromagnétique, 1968 Painted wood, Plexiglas, and electromagnet Transfer from the College of Business, Colorado State University; Gift of Lee and Betsy Turner, 2009.5 De Wain Valentine b. Fort Collins, Colorado, 1923, lives in Los Angeles Red Top, 1966 Polyester resin 14 3/4 x 14 3/4 in. (irregular) Gift of John and Kimiko Powers, 1976.1.2 Lichtenstein Roy New York, New York, 1923–1997 Modern Sculpture with Aperture, 1967 Screenprinted enamel on interlocking Plexiglas forms with Mylar 1/2 x 5 3/4 x 1/4 in. Gift of Polly and Mark Addison, 2013.3.8 16
EVENTS
JANUARY
22
EXHIBITION OFF KILTER, ON POINT: ART OF THE 1960s FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION January 22 – April 13, 2019 The Griffin Foundation Gallery
31
Roy Lichtenstein, Modern Sculpture with Aperture, 1967
Bridget Riley Untitled (from “Fragments”), 1965
GALLERY TALK and SCREENING ART OF THE 1960s Thursday, January 31, 2019 5 P.M. In conjunction with the exhibition Off Kilter, On Point, museum director and exhibition curator Lynn Boland discusses styles and strategies of works on view and how they reflect their time. The talk will be followed by a screening of documentary footage from Pop artists’ visits to CSU, including Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, and Q&A with filmmaker Frank Boring.
FEBRUARY
21
David Yust, Circular Composition (#11 Round), 1969
GALLERY CONVERSATION IN THE ROUND Thursday, February 21, 2019 5 P.M. In conjunction with the exhibition OFF KILTER, ON POINT, artist David Yust joins museum director Lynn Boland to discuss the evolution of his art over the last fifty years.
MARCH
28
RECEPTION and PERFORMACE OFF KILTER, ON POINT Thursday, March 28, 2019 5 P.M. Sponsored by Hixon Interiors, the event features chance-driven dance and readings inspired by John Cage and Merce Cunningham, performed by Emily Morgan, Lisa Morgan, and Rocky Eisentraut.
