Press pack 1
Table of contents I. SOL LEWITT 6 Wall Drawings P.04 ii. Biography P.06 iii. Publication P.07 Iii. ANNI ALBERS The Prints P.08 iv. Publication p.10 V. LJUBODRAG ANDRIC Walls P.11 vi. Publication p.13 Vii. MATHIEU BERNARD-REYMOND Transform p.14 VIii. Publication p.15 ix. WOLFGANG ZÄT Dark Black P.16 x. CLAUDIA COMTE Annual edition 2017 P.17 xi. Events P.18 xii. Press images P.19 Xiii. Next exhibitions p.25 xiv. General information p.26 xv. Press contact P.26 2
Sol lewitt 6 wall drawings Anni albers The prints Ljubodrag andric walls Mathieu Bernard-reymond Transform WOLFGANG zät Dark black Claudia comte Annual edition 2017 Our exhibitions bring together 6 artists who question the idea of representation. The American conceptual art pioneer Sol LeWitt is honoured with six wall drawings produced directly on our walls (ground floor). These drawings date from the early 1970s, a time when he formulated a fresh approach to creating art. Earlier in the 20 th century, the Bauhaus artists were inspired by the same ambition. Anni Albers, who studied at the famous art school in the 1920s, experimented art in an innovative way. Her husband, the painter Josef Albers, is considered one of the forerunners of modern art but few people recognise the importance of Anni Albers who, although a woman, maintained a lifelong artistic career. Her printmaking perfectly sums up her experimentation with shape and colour. Her artistic approach, dominated by rationality and method, is akin to that carried on today by Claudia Comte, one of the highest-profile Swiss artists and winner of the Prix de la Ville du Locle given in the 2015 Triennial of Contemporary Prints. The optical phenomena created by geometric construction and colour schemes create a striking visual experience which is also of interest to printmaker Wolfgang Zät in his exploration of blacks. Albers fled Hitler s Germany for the United States, and her art made a deep impression on the American Avant Garde of the 1960s, of which Sol LeWitt was a member. His interest in the wall, as a medium for his drawings reminiscent of Italian Renaissance frescos, leads us not only to the photographs of Ljubodrag Andric but also to Mathieu Bernard- Reymond. The notion of filiation in art is more widespread than we might think. This programme aims to reflect these artistic filiations. Nathalie Herschdorfer Director 3
i. sol lewitt : 6 wall drawings Wall drawing 229, The location of two points on two walls, 1974 Courtesy of The Estate of Sol LeWitt and Pace Gallery 2017, ProLitteris, Zurich The idea becomes a machine that makes the art. So wrote American Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) on his approach to artistic creation and his experiments with wall drawing. The first of these drawings were created almost 50 years ago on the walls of the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York. The Wall Drawings are LeWitt s most iconic work. He created 1200 of them between 1968 and 2007. They are complex yet simple, rational and intuitive, clear yet opaque. Ten years after the artist s death, the Museum of Fine Arts celebrates this pioneer of conceptual art by setting aside a space in his honour for eight months. Six of his early drawings Wall Drawings #208, #209, #210, #211, #212 and #229 (installed in Portland, Oregon, in 1973 and 1974) are installed on the museum s walls. Exploring the notions of impermanence and immateriality of art, LeWitt s work demystifies the artwork as a physical and often fetishised object while merging with the exhibition space that embraces it. Favouring geometric shapes (here, straight lines plotted within a square and drawn on the wall in lead pencil), LeWitt established a system based on the repetition of simple shapes. This approach enabled him to concentrate on the idea that makes up the work, an idea passed on to his assistants by means of a diagram and a set of precise instructions. The drawing is always done by hand and its execution thus becomes a kind of performance for the assistants who work in tandem with the language and the image, each of which is indispensable in creating the work. LeWitt thus defined his practice by separating the concept and the execution. As in music, theatre or architecture, art is designed first and materialised later. The concept prevails over the execution, which is why the wall drawings are ephemeral they exist for the duration of the exhibition and, once it is over, the walls are repainted. For LeWitt, each installation has its own value, so long as 4
the concept is understood and respected by those who draw it, and the execution does not affect the artistic quality of the work. The mural is adapted to fit the scale of each new space, resulting in an interpretation rigorous, stoical and enduring - rather than a reproduction of the artist s idea. The wall drawings are thus not fixed in either space or time. In demonstrating that art is an idea before it is a thing, LeWitt makes his work almost permanent because the concept lives on during the installations and can be continued in other places, thus rendering the wall drawings unique and different on every occasion. The exhibition is made in collaboration with Pace Gallery (New York) and the Estate of Sol LeWitt (Chester, Connecticut). It is a standalone event running until 15 October 2017. 5
ii. biography Solomon Sol LeWitt was born in Hartford, Connecticut (USA) in 1928. He studied fine art at Syracuse University (New York), graduating in 1949 and going on to study at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School in New York. After his studies, he joined the army and served his country during the Korean War. On his return, he worked as a graphic designer in the office of architect Ieoh Ming Pei and for the magazine Seventeen. He then took a post as receptionist at the Museum of Modern Art in New York where he met artists close to the minimalist movement which developed in the late 1960s in reaction to abstract expressionism. In the early 1960s, Sol Lewitt created paintings and reliefs before turning his attention to three dimensional works based on the study of cubes. After 1965, LeWitt s works were shown in exhibitions that brought minimalist artists together. His first solo show was held in 1965 at the John Gallery in New York. Considered as one of the founders of the minimalist and conceptual art movements, he defined the principles of his artwork in various writings, including Paragraphs on Conceptual Art (1967) and Sentences on Conceptual Art (1969). He declared that the idea becomes a machine that makes the art. and that the concept prevails over the final appearance of the work. In other words, he considered the idea (the project) of a work considerably more essential than the result. In 1968, he created his first Wall Drawings, his most iconic work. His interest in the series also led him to produce several artist s books. In 1976, he joined with other artists to establish Printed Matter, an organisation aimed at publishing and disseminating artist's books. Always prolific, his career spanned 50 years and the artist also became a great collector. He and his wife Carol acquired over 8,000 works by modern and contemporary artists. After 1980, the artist settled in Italy where he encountered the frescos of Giotto, Masaccio, and other Italian Renaissance artists. There he learnt a range of fresco painting techniques and abandoned graphite pencil for acrylics and gouache in warm colours. He returned to live in the United States in the late 1980s and moved to Connecticut where he continued working and took part in many exhibitions until his death ten years ago, in 2007. His work is held by some of the most important museums in the United States and around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum and Guggenheim Museum (New York), the Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris) and the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam). A major retrospective of his Wall Drawings was opened in 2008 at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art). This homage will remain on view for 25 years. 6
iii. publication 101 Drawings, 100 Views Yale University Publishing, 2009 Text by Denise Cross and Susan Markonish 272 pages 7
iv. Anni albers : the prints Camino Real, Screenprint, 1967-69 Courtesy Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Alan Cristea Gallery, London This exhibition is the first in Switzerland to be devoted to Anni Albers (1899-1994), an artist who played an active part in 20th century modernism yet who has long been overshadowed by her husband, the painter and theoretician Josef Albers. Originally from Berlin, Anni Albers, born Annelise Fleischmann, was fascinated by the visual arts and decided at an early age on a career as an artist. In 1922, she was admitted to the Bauhaus the well-known art school founded three years earlier by Walter Gropius and joined the weaving workshop. She would have liked to study architecture or in the glass workshop (which was then run by her future husband), but only the weaving workshop was then open to women. Anni Albers was soon won over, and explored the possibilities offered by this technique where she created a world defined by abstraction and linearity, where geometric motifs went hand in hand with vivid colours. The rise of fascism and the school s closure by the Nazis in 1933 forced Josef and Anni Albers, of Jewish descent, to emigrate to the United States. The couple were invited to teach at Black Mountain College, a new art school in North Carolina which would nurture the American avant-garde. Anni Albers continued her artistic research there, creating weavings and developing new textiles at the same time as writing several essays on design. She rapidly became a key player in textile art and was the first weaver to exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1949. She also was one of very few female artists to have exhibited at MoMA. She came late to printmaking. It was only from 1963, when the couple were living in Connecticut, that she began to explore various techniques (screen printing, lithography, offset, aquatint), which enabled her to develop her research into abstraction. Two 8
of the works exhibited here mark this transition: Enmeshed I and II, her first prints. In them you can see shapes resembling threads which come to life, freed from the horizontal and vertical structures imposed by weaving. This real latticework of interlaced lines marks the transposition of a motif that she had previously used in her tapestries into a new medium a medium that she would never abandon having once decided to devote herself exclusively to print. The non-figurative multiple forms that Albers used and combined seen, for example, in the series Meander seem to evoke the geometric severity of the patterns designed by pre-columbian civilisations. The artist discovered this artisanal heritage on her journeys in Mexico and South America, on which the couple acquired numerous objects. Aztec and Inca textiles were among the items that became a huge source of inspiration for the Albers. Weaver, textile designer, collector of pre-columbian art, teacher, writer and, finally printmaker, Anni Albers poured the same level of energy into everything she did. With her extraordinary imaginative and creative skill, Albers built up an intentionally narrow vocabulary with which to construct a rich and complex body of work. The exhibition, organised in collaboration with Alan Cristea Gallery (London) and the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation (Connecticut), gives an overview of this great, yet little known, artist s prints. 9
v. Publication The Prints of Anni Albers : A Catalogue Raisonné RM Publishing, 2009 Text by Nicholas Fox Weber and Brenda Danilowitz 200 pages 10
Vi. ljubodrag andric : walls China 9, 2013 Ljubodrag Andric Ljubodrag Andric s images can be accessed via their immediately assertive visual material. Yet it is their finer details that invite the eye to linger. It is impossible to walk quickly past these walls. You are hooked by the variations in texture. Your interest is piqued by architectural elements and the interplay of symmetries and geometry, which repay deeper contemplation. Once our gaze has slowed, the image becomes more abstract. The light emanating from it directs the eye to the colours. Thus while we are physically engaged in this confrontation the scale of the photographs has something to do with it the architectural space gives way to a mental space. The objective reality of the wall eludes us and makes way for imagination. The surface of these walls may be opaque, yet it suddenly opens up into what we could call a meditative space. Ljubodrag Andric s work has closer links to the history of painting than of photography. The artist photographs walls in different cities around the world (Beijing, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal ), yet this is not what we remember from his works, which are devoid of any human presence or information about their environment. It is not the buildings that caught the photographer s attention but the light playing on the walls. The care taken over the shot, and the preparation for printing, are crucial steps. It is his absolute mastery of his tools that enables Andric to catch the viewer s eye. He always takes meticulous care to keep an element of reality in his images; he never tips over into pure abstraction. His work is characterised by light and colour. It is his treatment of these two elements that invites the viewer to go beyond the visible details (marks on concrete, irregularities in the bricks, dirt). To do so, he is careful to remove any storytelling, any reference to place or time. Thus Andric s work forms part of a long pictorial tradition dating back to Piero della Francesca and Fra Angelico, and leading on to Mark Rothko and Joseph Albers, via Paul Cézanne. As in Anni Albers work, lines and shapes are here set in a relationship with colours. As 11
for the meaning to be ascribed to these images, it is shrouded in mystery and is happy to hide from us. Ljubodrag Andric lives and works in Toronto, Canada. Born in Belgrade in 1965, he took up photography at the age of 16. After studying literature at the University of Belgrade, he moved to Rome in 1986 turned towards architectural photography and then advertising. He considers himself a citizen of the world and left Europe in 2002 to settle in Canada. In 2016, he exhibited in Milan and the Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice. The same year, a major monograph was published by Skira. This exhibition forms part of the 2017 Printemps culturel programme in Neuchâtel, which this year spotlights the Balkans. 12
Vii. Publication Ljubodrag Andric Works 2008-2016 Skira Publishing, 2016 Text by Demetrio Paparoni, Aldo Nove, William A. Ewing, Barry Schmabsky and Philip Tinari 160 pages 13
viii. Mathieu Bernard-reymond : transform Transformation (Piscine de stockage, 191, Fessenheim), Transform : Power series, 2015 Mathieu Bernard-Reymond Mathieu Bernard-Reymond (1976) works explores the intersection between art and documentary photography and is interested in the idea of production and transformation. The series Transform is based on images taken in nuclear and hydroelectric power stations, focusing on architectural details. Some of the pictures are then manipulated using an algorithm through which they lose their documentary appearance and become increasingly abstract. The complex way in which the images are hung juxtaposed as if this were a collage also serves to establish the interplay between documenting reality and artistic interpretation. 14
ix. Publication Could you talk about Mathieu Bernard-Reymond Published by Musée des beaux-arts Le Locle, 2017 Edited by Nathalie Herschdorfer Interview : Joël Vacheron Graphic design : Atelier Florence Chèvre Bilingual : French-English In 2016, the museum launched a series of publications to shed light on new artworks. An interview is conducted with artists shown in the museum. Previous publications were dedicated to Mishka Henner and Dan Holdsworth. 15
x. Wolfgang zät : dark black Untitled, 2010 Wolfgang Zät The black-and-white engravings by the Bernese artist Wolfgang Zät (1962) are remarkable in a number of ways. They are striking both for their monumental scale they must be seen from a considerable distance to take in the whole effect and for their intense blackness, and plunge us into an immersive visual experience. Hovering on the borderline between figuration and abstraction, Zät s work frees the imagination from what we can see and sweeps us up into extraordinary landscapes. 16
xi. claudia comte : annual edition 2017 Felix, 2017 Claudia Comte. Courtesy Musée des beaux-arts Le Locle. Claudia Comte is a Swiss artist (1983) recognised on the international art scene. She was awarded the Prix de la Ville du Locle given during the 2015 Triennial of Contemporary Prints. The museum invited this talented artist to produce the 2017 annual print. In Claudia Comte s work, engravings, sculptures and monumental painted murals all feature strict geometric rules shot through by a deft touch of humour. In this work, the artist imagines multiple variations on a circle in a white square. It features green and black shapes rotated and combined to create new forms whose interplay may ultimately suggest a certain cartoon character s head! Felix (demi-cercles vert et noir), 2017 Screenprint, 50 x 50 cm limited edition of 30 prints, 5 E.A. et 2 H.C. Prnter: Nicolas Wagnières, Genève Museum members 2017 : CHF 300.- during 2017 Non-museum members : CHF 450.- Orders to be sent to the museum (postage not included). 17
xii. events Opening of the new exhibitions Saturday, February 18 th at 6:00 pm Guided tours of the exhibitions Sundays February 26 th, March 19 th, April 23 th, May 14 th and May 21 st at 2:30 pm Included with admission Panel discussion Sunday, March 12 th at 11:00 am Female artists or artists? In the week of the International Woman Day Centennial, the museum organises a panel discussion about being a woman in the art world. Free entry An event organized in collaboration with the Galerie C, Neuchâtel Children workshop Shapes and Chance Wednesdays, March 15 th, April 19 th, May 24 th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm Round, square, triangle get inspired by the exhibited works and create your own painting with lots of geometric shapes. For children from 6 years old Booking required / Fee: 10.- Family Brunch Sunday, May 7 th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm While the grown-ups share a delicious brunch, the little ones are welcomed by our mediator for a moment of artistic creation. Booking required Adult: 12.- / Child: 5.- Neuchâtel Museum Night / Movie-concert Saturday, May 20 st at 10:00 pm Musicians Frédéric Fleischer and Joachim Latarjet will play the soundtrack of the horror movie Night of the Living Dead, a classic directed by George A. Romero in 1968. Free entry 18
xiii. press images Images cannot be reframed or retouched. Sol lewitt Wall drawing 229, The location of two points on two walls, 1974 Courtesy of The Estate of Sol LeWitt and Pace Gallery 2017, ProLitteris, Zurich 19
Anni albers Second Movement II, Two-color copper plate etching and aquatint, 1978 Courtesy Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Alan Cristea Gallery, London O (Orchestra), Photo-offset, 1979 Courtesy Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Alan Cristea Gallery, London Camino Real, Screenprint, 1967-69 Courtesy Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Alan Cristea Gallery, London Blue Meander, Screenprint, 1970 Courtesy Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Alan Cristea Gallery, London Enmeshed I, Two-color zinc plate and stone lithograph, 1963 Courtesy Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and Alan Cristea Gallery, London 20
Ljubodrag andric China 12, 2012 Ljubodrag Andric Miami 7, 2011 Ljubodrag Andric Pingyao 2, 2015 Ljubodrag Andric Pingyao 4, 2015 Ljubodrag Andric China 9, 2013 Ljubodrag Andric 21
Mathieu bernard-reymond Seuil, Transform : Power series, 2015 Mathieu Bernard-Reymond Transformation (Piscine de stockage, 191, Fessenheim), Transform : Power series, 2015 Mathieu Bernard-Reymond Transformation 48, Transform : Power series, 2015 Mathieu Bernard-Reymond 22
Wolfgang zät Untitled, 2010 Wolfgang Zät Untitled, 2014 Wolfgang Zät 23
CLAUDIA COMTE Felix, 2017 Claudia Comte. Courtesy Musée des beaux-arts Le Locle 24
xiv. next exhibitions 18.06.2017-15.10.2017 RENÉ BURRI INA JANG HENRY LEUTWYLER The PHOTOBOOK CAMILLE SCHERRER 25
Xv. general information Opening Saturday, february 18 th at 6:00 pm Musée des beaux-arts Marie-Anne Calame 6 CH 2400 Le Locle +41 (0)32 933 89 50 mbal@ne.ch www.mbal.ch Opening hours Mon Fri, 12.30 17.00 Sat Sun, 11.00 17.00 Prices Adults CHF 8 OAPs, students, apprentices, unemployed CHF 5 Children under 16 and museum members free Owner of Raiffeisen card free First Sunday of the month free XVi. Press contact Sara Terrier Musée des beaux-arts Le Locle T +41 (0)32 933 89 50 sara.terrier@ne.ch 26