05/07/2016 EBSCOhost

Record:1
Title: TheDeclineandFalloftheAvantGarde.
Authors: Hughes,Robert
Source: Time.12/18/1972,Vol.100Issue25,p119.4p.
DocumentType: Article
FullTextWordCount: 1957
ISSN: 0040781X
AccessionNumber: 53812321
Database: AcademicSearchPremier
TheDeclineandFalloftheAvantGarde
ARTisinbadshape.Advancedart,thatis.Thediagnosis:conditionfeeble.Theprognosis:poor.Theavant
gardehasfinallyrunoutofsteam,whetherinMunichorLosAngeles,ParisorNewYorktheturnoverof
stylesandtheoriesthatgavethe1960stheirracketingebullience(AbstractExpressionism,Minimalism,Op,
Popandsoon)hasbeenfollowedbyasluggishdescentintoentropy.Thereseemstobenoescapefromthat
spiral.

Dealerscontinuetoexhibittheirpettrendsasthoughnothinghadhappened,butrecentartcriticismhastaken
onaglum,apocalyptictone:"Theartcurrentlyfillingthemuseumsandgalleriesisofsuchlowquality
generallythatnorealcriticalintelligencecouldpossiblyfeelchallengedtoanalyzeit...Thereisaninescapable
senseamongartistsandcriticsthatweareattheendofourrope,culturallyspeaking."

Thewriterisnotsomereactionaryfogywhosepredictionshavefinallycometrue,thewayastoppedclockis
righttwiceaday.Sheisaleadingmodernistcritic,BarbaraRose,andherstrictureswouldnothavebeen
madeinthe'60s,whenAmericanartseemedtoinhabitanendlesssummer.ThenNewYorkbelievedinits
manifestdestinyithadbecomethenewParis,orevenImperialRome.The"mainstream"ranthroughNew
York.Anditseemedbymiddecadethatvirtuallyeveryonewithsomethingtoinvestwasblunderingaboutin
itsturbidfloodlikeashark,snappingupartworks.Theculminationofthisprocesswas"Henry'sshow,"ahuge
andpartialexhibitioncalled"NewYorkPaintingandSculpture:19401970"thatHenryGeldzahlerorganized
attheMetropolitan.Ifeveranexhibitionbrokethebackofadecade,itwasthisone.Itdeclaredtheunionof
newart,capitalandofficialpowertobeindissoluble,andcrystallizedthedissatisfactionsthatmanyartistsfelt
withtheinterlocking,marketbasedSystem.Itseemedtoproclaimtheendofanera.

Theerawasofgreatsignificance.ItstillseemstruethatAmericanpaintingandsculptureduringthose30
yearsreachedalevelofqualityandinventionthatitneverhadbeforeandmaynotsoonregain.Butcreative
periodsdonotlastforever,andthedesiretoinventdoesnotguaranteethem.By1970,fewseriousartists
wereuntroubledbytheexploitationofart.Andoneremedythatwasproposedwithincreasingfrequencywas
theabolitionoftheartobjectitselfanythingthatcouldbeboughtorpossessed.Thiswasnotanewidea.
Unfortunately,whenusedasaprincipleofartactivity,itcausedaneddyevenavacuuminwhichthe
avantgardeisimmobilizedtoday.

"Advanced"artwhetherconceptualart,processart,video,bodyartoranyoftheirproliferatinghybrids
avoidstheobjectliketheplague.Thepublichasretreated,inturn,fromit.Thisisaworldwidephenomenon,
andwhatnowexistsisnotsimplyarecessionofinterest(andtalent)butageneralwearinessareluctance
tobelieveintheavantgardeasprinciple.Tobeaheadofthegamenowseemspointless,forthegame
underitspresentrulesisnotworthplaying.

Whydidthishappen?ThoseinterestedinthefateoftheavantgardeshouldreflectonaVienneseartist
namedRudolfSchwarzkogler.Hisachievement(andlimitedthoughitmaybe,itcannotbetakenfromhimhe
died,amartyrtohisart,in1969attheageof29)wastobecometheVincentVanGoghofbodyart.Asevery

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/ehost/delivery?sid=96b546f203ca4b16ac99ab3ea4108584%40sessionmgr4003&vid=9&hid=4114&Return... 1/3
05/07/2016 EBSCOhost

moviegoerknows,VanGoghoncecutoffhisearandpresentedittoawhore.Schwarzkoglerseemstohave
deducedthatwhatreallycountsisnottheapplicationofpaint,buttheremovalofsurplusflesh.Sohe
proceeded,inchbyinch,toamputatehisownpenis,whileaphotographerrecordedtheactasanartevent.In
1972,theresultingprintswerereverentlyexhibitedinthatbiennialmotorshowofWesternart,Documenta5
atKassel.SuccessiveactsofselfamputationfinallydidSchwarzkoglerin.

Resurrectedthoughincomplete,Schwarzkoglerhasenteredthepantheonalongwithsuchlivingeminences
oftheVienneseimaginationasHermannNitsch(whoseritual,theOrgiesMysteriesTheatreperformedin
NewYorklastmonth,consistsofcoveringhimself,aroomandeveryoneinrangewithanimalbloodandguts)
andArnulfRainer(whoseactistotrusshimself,likeapluckedhen,inthongsandtwine,havephotostaken,
andsmeartheprintswithblackpaint).

Nodoubtitcouldbearguedbytheproponentsofbodyart(aformofexpressionwherebytheartist'sbody
becomes,asitwere,thesubjectandobjectoftheartwork)thatSchwarzkogler'sselfeditingwasnotindulgent
butbrave,takingtheaudience'scastrationfearsandreducingthemtotheirmostthreateningquiddity.That
themanwasclearlyasmadasahatter,sickbeyondrebuke,isnotthoughtimportant:wasn'tVanGoghcrazy
too?ButSchwarzkogler'sgesturehasacertainemblematicvalue.Havingnothingtosay,andnowheretogo
butfurtherout,heloppedhimselfandcalleditart.Thepoliticsofexperiencegivewaytothepoeticsof
impotence.Farewell,Jasperhullo,Rudolf!

Theideaofanavantgardeartwaspredicatedonthebeliefthatartists,associaloutsiders,couldseefurther
thaninsidersthatradicalchangeinlanguage(eitheroralorvisual)couldaccompany,andevenhelpcause,
similarchangesinlife.Tokeeprenewingthecontractoflanguage,sothatitcouldhandlefreshanddifficult
experiencesuchwasthehopeoftheavantgarde,fromCourbettoBretonandbeyond.Andthehope
neededcertainconditionsofnourishment.First,therehadtobesomethingtosay,somepropositionabout
experience,andthisentailedarigoroussense,amongartists,oftheuseoftheirart.Artneededtobea
necessarychannelofinformation.Otherwise,whyshouldchangingitmatter?Second,artrequiredadelicate,
exactsenseofitsowndistancefromsociety,soasnottobecoopted.Andthird,therehadtobeastrict
facultyofjudgmentaboutone'sresponsibilitiestolanguage.Newnessforitsownsakelayontheperiphery,
notthecenter,oftheavantgarde.

Thesearenot,toputitmildly,theconditionsthatgovernwhatpassesforadvancedarttoday,especiallyin
NewYork.TheAvantGardeFestival,heldthisfallonaboatmooredattheSouthStreetSeaportin
Manhattan,wasafairexampleoftheproblem:aconfusionofirresolutetrivia,rangingfromacabinfullof
autumnleaves(which,atleast,thekidsenjoyedthrowingaround),throughnumerousvideopieces,to
CharlotteMoormanwhoenjoysafameofsortsastheworld'sonlytoplesscellistplayingherinstrument
underwater.Itwasallsoaffablyamateurish,likeatransistorizedrummagesale,thatonegaveup
expectation.

Abesettingproblemforexperimentersisthatpeoplenolongerexpecttogettheirnecessaryinformationfrom
artitwasthisgapthattheartistmadevideotapepromisedtoclose.Butaneventdoesnotautomaticallygain
aestheticmeaningbecauseitisrecorded,handheld,onhalfinchtape.Toomanyvideopiecesareeitherbald
documentariesorhermeticdiaries.Watchingatapeofsomeartistmakingfunnyfacesathimselfhasasmany
longueursasgazingintothepaintedeyeofaLandseerspaniel.

Theinherentpurposelessnessofantiobjectartbecomesarealliabilityinonearea:conceptualism.Thebasic
claimofconceptualartisthatmakingobjectsisirrelevant.Theartist'sdutyistorevealandcriticizethe
attitudesbywhichartismade.Infact,paintingandsculpturehavealwaysdonethiseveryauthenticcreation
isalsoacriticism,butcriticismisnotitssolesubject.Instead,asArtCriticMaxKozloffpointedoutina
trenchantessayonartasidea,weget"deliberatelyundigestedaccretionsofdata,documentationswithout
comment,thepurveyingofinformationforitsownsake,andthemeasuringofmeaninglessquantities."

Andsoathicketofverbiageprotects,andsupports,themostbanalpropositions.Recently,anartistnamed

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/ehost/delivery?sid=96b546f203ca4b16ac99ab3ea4108584%40sessionmgr4003&vid=9&hid=4114&Return... 2/3
05/07/2016 EBSCOhost

JannisKounellisshowed(amongotherthings)alivemacaw,sittingonaperchthatprojectedfromasteel
plate."Theparrotpiece,"Kounellisexplained,"isamoredirectdemonstrationofthedialecticbetweenthe
structureandtherest,inotherwords,thenatureoftheparrot,doyousee?Thestructurerepresentsa
commonmentality,andthenthesensuouspart,theparrot,isacriticismofthestructure,right?"Strippedofits
jargon,thisisanotverysurprisingrevelationthatparrotsarenotperches.Butatleastonecouldscratchthe
parrot,whichisnotthecasewithmoreconceptualizedworkslikeMelBochner'srecentpieceatthe
SonnabendGallery:TheSevenPropertiesofBetween,197172.Itconsistedofleavesofpaperonwhich
werelaidstones,labeledA,B,XandY,withsuchobservationswrittenbelowas"IfXisbetweenAandB,A
andBarenotidentical."What,onewonders,aresuchminimalitiesdoinginanartgalleryratherthanachild's
primeroflogic?Galleryspaceisnot,infact,necessary:oneofRobertBarry'sconceptualeffortsrequiredthat
thedoorofhisgallerybelockedandadornedwiththisnotice:"Fortheexhibition,thegallerywillbeclosed."

Therearenoaestheticcriteriafordealingwithsuchworks.IfsomeartistshowsaclutchofPolaroidsof
himselfplayingtabletennis,thisiscalled"information."Butwhoisinformed,andaboutwhat?"Information"
hasbecometheshibbolethofthe'70s,avogueword,as"flatness"wasinthe'60sand"gesture"wasinthe
'50s.Informationissomehowopposedto"culture."Forallthepretenseofenteringtheworldoutthere,
however,conceptualartremainsinexorablyculturebound.Itsveryexistencehingesontheprivilegedstatus
ofartitself,astatusdrilledintotheworldaudiencebydecadesofinstitutionalartworship.Nomatterhow
nugatoryaneventorobjectseems,itisneverthelessspecial,beingart.Andwithinthisprotectivebox,the
conceptualartistasSculptorRobertSmithsonacerbicallyputitdisportshimself"likeaB.F.Skinnerrat
doinghis'tough'littletricks."

Thesemattersdonotafflictbodyarttothesamedegree,eventhoughtheatmosphereofsuspensionand
privilegepeculiartotherecentavantgarderemains.Butthetroublewithmostbodypiecesisthattheyare
eithersosmallinconceptionastobenegligibleforinstance,DennisOppenheimslowlytearingoffasection
ofhisfingernailorsogrotesqueintheirimplications,aswithpoorSchwarzkogler,thattheyamountto
overkill.Trivialityorthreat:takeyourchoice.

ThereissomethingindubitablymenacingabouttheworkofpeoplelikeVitoAcconci,oneofwhoserecent
pieceswastobuildarampandcrawlaroundbelowit,masturbatinginvisiblyortheyoungLosAngelesartist
ChrisBurden,whohadhimselfmanacledtothefloorofanopengarage,betweenlivewiresandbucketsof
water,sothat(inpossibility)anyonewhocaredtomightkickoverthepailsandelectrocutetheartist.The
sightofsuchgratuitousriskisavulgarfrissonforthespectators,andunlikelytoappealtothosewhobelieve
thatartandlifeinteractbestatadistancefromoneanother.Atleastthepsychodramasofbodyartconnotea
desperateinvolvementthatismissingfromtheother,andcolder,latitudesofconceptualism.Ifconceptualart
representspedagogyandstalemetaphysicsattheendoftheirtether,bodyartisthelastrictusof
Expressionism.

Butfacedwiththechoicebetweenamateurtherapyandfinicky,aridfootnotestoDuchamp,themindrecoils.
Infact,thetermavantgardehasoutliveditsusefulness.Thehardthingtofaceisnotthattheemperorhasno
clothesitisthatbeneaththeraiment,thereisnoemperor.

RobertHughes

~~~~~~~~
ByROBERTHUGHES

TimeInc.,1972.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthismaterialmaybeduplicatedorredisseminatedwithout
permission.

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/ehost/delivery?sid=96b546f203ca4b16ac99ab3ea4108584%40sessionmgr4003&vid=9&hid=4114&Return... 3/3