Constantin Brancusi and Richard Serra - Fondation Beyeler
Constantin Brancusi and Richard Serra - Fondation Beyeler
Constantin Brancusi and Richard Serra - Fondation Beyeler
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Press Release<br />
<strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong><br />
May 22 to August 21, 2011<br />
The <strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong> is devoting its large summer exhibition to the art of <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
(1876-1957) <strong>and</strong> <strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong> (b. 1939), two of the most important sculptors of the twentieth<br />
century. <strong>Brancusi</strong>, born in Romania <strong>and</strong> a resident of Paris from 1904 onwards, reduced forms to<br />
the essentials <strong>and</strong> thus set the cornerstone for abstract sculpture. The American artist <strong>Serra</strong><br />
redefined the effects of sculpture by means of minimalistic steel pieces which draw the viewer<br />
directly into the work. The phenomenon <strong>and</strong> presence of sculptural form in space are his prime<br />
theme. Taken together, the oeuvres of these two pioneers of European <strong>and</strong> American sculpture<br />
cover the period of over one hundred years in which modern sculpture developed.<br />
The essential aspects of <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s work are illuminated by about 40 exemplary pieces, arranged<br />
in the exhibition in various thematic groupings. Among the ensembles of works on view are<br />
different variants of the monolithic piece The Kiss, the poetic Children’s Heads, Sleeping Muses,<br />
female torsos, <strong>and</strong> the renowned Birds in Space, as well as the sc<strong>and</strong>al-triggering Princess X,<br />
Adam <strong>and</strong> Eve, or the iconic Endless Column. Also, a photo cabinet contains a selection of twenty<br />
original photographs that provide insight into <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s own personal view of his art.<br />
The crucial recognition of an ideal presence in space, the question as to the essence of sculpture,<br />
is approached in a different if not less compelling way in ten sculptural works from different phases<br />
of <strong>Serra</strong>’s oeuvre. In addition, a new series of works on paper is on display. The selection of works,<br />
again arranged retrospectively, extends from <strong>Serra</strong>’s early pieces in rubber <strong>and</strong> lead, such as the<br />
Belts, 1966-67, <strong>and</strong> Lead Props, as well as his characteristic steel sculpture Strike: To Roberta <strong>and</strong><br />
Rudy 1969-71 <strong>and</strong> Delineator (1974/75). The “curved piece” Olson, 1986, opens up another facet<br />
of <strong>Serra</strong>’s work. Fern<strong>and</strong>o Pessoa’s, 2007-08, radical reduction st<strong>and</strong>s for developments of recent<br />
years <strong>and</strong> simultaneously delineates an arc back to earlier works like Strike.<br />
<strong>Brancusi</strong>’s sculptural work is on view for the first time in Switzerl<strong>and</strong> in retrospective form. Nor has<br />
<strong>Serra</strong>’s oeuvre previously been represented here so extensively.<br />
The loans to the exhibition stem from renowned private collections <strong>and</strong> public museums, including<br />
the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the<br />
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto;<br />
the Tate, London; the Musée National d’Art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Peggy<br />
Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; the Muzeul de Artǎ, Craiova;<br />
the Hamburger Kunsthalle; the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart; the Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg; the<br />
Kunstmuseum Basel, <strong>and</strong> the Kunsthaus Zurich.<br />
Curated by Oliver Wick, the <strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong> exhibition was conceived in collaboration with the<br />
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which is foreseen as the next venue (October 10, 2011 – April 15,<br />
2012).
The exhibition is accompanied by an abundantly illustrated scholarly catalogue, published in<br />
separate German, English <strong>and</strong> Spanish editions by Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern. It contains<br />
essays by Oliver Wick, Friedrich Teja Bach, Alfred Pacquement, <strong>and</strong> Jacqueline Matisse Monnier,<br />
<strong>and</strong> commentaries by Raphaël Bouvier, Denise Ellenberger, Alex<strong>and</strong>ra Parigoris, Ileana Parvu,<br />
Marielle Tabart, Michelle White, <strong>and</strong> Jon Wood, <strong>and</strong> biographies of the two artists. 244 pages, 176<br />
illustrations, CHF 68, ISBN 978-3-905632-89-7.<br />
<strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong> is represented by three outdoor sculptures in Basel <strong>and</strong> environs: Open Field<br />
Vertical / Horizontal Elevations at Wenken Park in Riehen/Basel, installed in 1980 in the context of<br />
“Sculpture in the 20 th Century,” co-organized by Ernst <strong>Beyeler</strong>; the steel sculpture Intersection,<br />
installed in 1992 on Theaterplatz in Basel city center; <strong>and</strong> Dirk’s Pod, a steel piece unveiled in<br />
2004 on the Novartis Campus, Basel.<br />
Press images accessible at http://pressimages.fondationbeyeler.ch<br />
Contact / Press<br />
Catherine Schott, Tel. + 41 (0)61 645 97 21, Fax. + 41 (0)61 645 97 39, presse@fondationbeyeler.ch<br />
<strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong> opening hours: 10 am – 6 pm daily, Wednesdays to 8 pm
Press Release<br />
<strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong><br />
May 22 to August 21, 2011<br />
The <strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong> is devoting its large summer exhibition to the art of <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
(1876-1957) <strong>and</strong> <strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong> (b. 1939), two of the most important sculptors of the twentieth<br />
century. <strong>Brancusi</strong>, born in Romania <strong>and</strong> a resident of Paris from 1904 onwards, reduced forms to<br />
the essentials <strong>and</strong> thus set the cornerstone for abstract sculpture. The American artist <strong>Serra</strong><br />
redefined the effects of sculpture by means of minimalistic steel pieces which draw the viewer<br />
directly into the work. The phenomenon <strong>and</strong> presence of sculptural form in space are his prime<br />
theme. Taken together, the oeuvres of these two pioneers of European <strong>and</strong> American sculpture<br />
cover the period of over one hundred years in which modern sculpture developed.<br />
The essential aspects of <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s work are illuminated by about 40 exemplary pieces, arranged<br />
in the exhibition in various thematic groupings. The selection covers an oeuvre that extends over<br />
forty years of <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s mature work, revolving around the question of reduction of volumes in<br />
space <strong>and</strong> their transcendence in light – an exploration of formal essence <strong>and</strong> “primal” form, as it<br />
were. The sculptor’s concentrated, lifelong concerns are reflected in a small range of sculptural<br />
motifs.<br />
Among the ensembles of works on view are different variants of the monolithic piece The Kiss, the<br />
poetic Children’s Heads, Sleeping Muses, female torsos, <strong>and</strong> the renowned Birds in Space, as well<br />
as the sc<strong>and</strong>al-triggering Princess X, Adam <strong>and</strong> Eve, or the iconic Endless Column. In addition,<br />
<strong>Brancusi</strong>’s The Child in the World, a so-called “mobile group”, has been reconstructed out of the<br />
original wooden sculptures. In this form of presentation, <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s pieces condense into what<br />
amounts almost to a retrospective in its own right. Special emphasis is placed on the concept of<br />
variation <strong>and</strong> the experience of the different effects of various materials; to this end, marble <strong>and</strong><br />
bronze pieces are supplemented in the exhibition by a number in wood, cement <strong>and</strong> plaster.<br />
Precisely a play with material qualities, their different surfaces <strong>and</strong> reflection or absorption of light,<br />
are characteristic traits of <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s search for an artistic ideal. The sculpture groupings are<br />
arranged in separate rooms with ample space around them, in order to make their appearance in<br />
space perceptible to viewers as an absolute quality. Also, a photo cabinet contains a selection of<br />
twenty original photographs that provide insight into <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s own personal view of his art.<br />
The crucial recognition of an ideal presence in space, the question as to the essence of sculpture,<br />
is approached in a different if not less compelling way in ten sculptural works from different phases<br />
of <strong>Serra</strong>’s oeuvre. In addition, a new series of works on paper is on display. The selection of works,<br />
again arranged retrospectively, extends from <strong>Serra</strong>’s early pieces in rubber <strong>and</strong> lead, such as the<br />
Belts, 1966-67, <strong>and</strong> Lead Props, as well as his characteristic steel sculpture Strike: To Roberta <strong>and</strong><br />
Rudy 1969-71 <strong>and</strong> Delineator (1974/75). The “curved piece” Olson, 1986, opens up another facet<br />
of <strong>Serra</strong>’s work. Fern<strong>and</strong>o Pessoa’s, 2007-08, radical reduction st<strong>and</strong>s for developments of recent<br />
years <strong>and</strong> simultaneously delineates an arc back to earlier works like Strike.<br />
<strong>Serra</strong> himself has repeatedly emphasized his special interest in <strong>Brancusi</strong>, whose art he was able to<br />
study in <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s reconstructed studio during an extended stay in Paris in 1964/1965. Every day<br />
<strong>Serra</strong> made a series of drawings that gave him access to the logic of his predecessor’s work <strong>and</strong><br />
enabled him to draw lessons from his sculptural thinking. Later, <strong>Serra</strong> would even describe<br />
<strong>Brancusi</strong>’s art as an “encyclopedia”, a “h<strong>and</strong>book of possibilities,” if one that inspired him to quite
different sculptural conclusions. In the exhibition, the aesthetic relationships between <strong>Brancusi</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>Serra</strong> are visualized in the form of an open-ended, free dialogue between their works – direct<br />
juxtapositions that reveal both traits shared in common <strong>and</strong> striking contrasts alternate with suites<br />
of works that reflect the universal force of sculpture <strong>and</strong> show it in a new light. Especially sculptural<br />
volumes that rest in time <strong>and</strong> space, <strong>and</strong> simultaneously maintain a precarious equilibrium, link<br />
<strong>Brancusi</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Serra</strong>’s singular oeuvres <strong>and</strong> point to the universality <strong>and</strong> continuity of sculpture in<br />
general.<br />
<strong>Brancusi</strong>’s sculptural work is on view for the first time in Switzerl<strong>and</strong> in retrospective form. Nor has<br />
<strong>Serra</strong>’s oeuvre previously been represented here so extensively. The installation of <strong>Serra</strong>’s<br />
sculptures at the <strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong> was an enormous technical challenge, as the static conditions<br />
had first to be established. For the installation of Fern<strong>and</strong>o Pessoa alone, about seventy tons of<br />
steel, including the sculpture’s weight, had to be moved.<br />
The loans to the exhibition stem from renowned private collections <strong>and</strong> public museums, including<br />
the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the<br />
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto;<br />
the Tate, London; the Musée National d’Art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Peggy<br />
Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; the Muzeul de Artǎ, Craiova;<br />
the Hamburger Kunsthalle; the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart; the Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg; the<br />
Kunstmuseum Basel, <strong>and</strong> the Kunsthaus Zurich.<br />
Curated by Oliver Wick, the <strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong> exhibition was conceived in collaboration with the<br />
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which is foreseen as the next venue (October 10, 2011 – April 15,<br />
2012).<br />
The exhibition is accompanied by an abundantly illustrated scholarly catalogue, published in<br />
separate German, English <strong>and</strong> Spanish editions by Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern. It contains<br />
essays by Oliver Wick, Friedrich Teja Bach, Alfred Pacquement, <strong>and</strong> Jacqueline Matisse Monnier,<br />
<strong>and</strong> commentaries by Raphaël Bouvier, Denise Ellenberger, Alex<strong>and</strong>ra Parigoris, Ileana Parvu,<br />
Marielle Tabart, Michelle White, <strong>and</strong> Jon Wood, <strong>and</strong> biographies of the two artists. 244 pages, 176<br />
illustrations, CHF 68, ISBN 978-3-905632-89-7.<br />
<strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong> is represented by three outdoor sculptures in Basel <strong>and</strong> environs: Open Field<br />
Vertical / Horizontal Elevations at Wenken Park in Riehen/Basel, installed in 1980 in the context of<br />
“Sculpture in the 20 th Century,” co-organized by Ernst <strong>Beyeler</strong>; the steel sculpture Intersection,<br />
installed in 1992 on Theaterplatz in Basel city center; <strong>and</strong> Dirk’s Pod, a steel piece unveiled in<br />
2004 on the Novartis Campus, Basel.<br />
Press images accessible at http://pressimages.fondationbeyeler.ch<br />
Contact / Press<br />
Catherine Schott, Tel. + 41 (0)61 645 97 21, Fax. + 41 (0)61 645 97 39, presse@fondationbeyeler.ch<br />
<strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong> opening hours: 10 am – 6 pm daily, Wednesdays to 8 pm
BRANCUSI<br />
SERRA May 22 – August 21, 2011<br />
01 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong> in his studio, ca. 1933–34,<br />
photograph by the artist<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: © Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris, dist. by RMN, Paris /<br />
© 2011, <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong> in Musée national d’art<br />
moderne – Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, artist’s bequest /<br />
Georges Meguerditchian<br />
04 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
Une muse, 1912, Muse<br />
White marble, 45 x 23 x 17 cm<br />
Base: oak, ca. 1920, three parts,<br />
overall 97.5 x 47.3 x 47 cm<br />
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: © the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation,<br />
New York / david Heald<br />
08 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
Adam et Eve, 1921, Adam <strong>and</strong> Eve<br />
Eve (above): oak, 116.5 x 30.8 x 30.2 cm<br />
Adam (below): chestnut, 108.9 x 47.5 x 43.5 cm<br />
Base: limestone, 13.3 x 46.4 x 46.4 cm<br />
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Foto: © the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation,<br />
New York / david Heald<br />
Press images http://pressimages.fondationbeyeler.ch<br />
this visual material may be used for press purposes only. Reproduction is permitted for the duration of the exhibition only.<br />
Please employ the captions as given <strong>and</strong> the relevant copyrights. We kindly request you to forward us a voucher copy.<br />
FoNdAtIoN <strong>Beyeler</strong><br />
02 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
Muse endormie [I], 1910, Spleeping Muse [I]<br />
Bronze, polished, 16 x 27.3 x 18.5 cm<br />
Centre Georges Pompidou, Musée national d‘art moderne, Paris,<br />
Gift of Baroness Renée Irana Frachon<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: © Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris, dist. by RMN, Paris / © 2011, Adam Rzepka<br />
05 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
Princesse X, 1915–16, Princess X<br />
Bronze, polished, 61.7 x 40.5 x 22.2 cm<br />
Centre Georges Pompidou, Musée national<br />
d‘art moderne, Paris<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: © Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris,<br />
dist. by RMN, Paris / © 2011, Adam Rzepka<br />
09 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
Torse de jeune fille [I], 1922<br />
Torso of a Young Girl [I]<br />
onyx, 33 x 22.8 x 21 cm<br />
Base: limestone, 14.3 x 19.4 x 18 cm<br />
Harvard Art Museums, Fogg Art Museum,<br />
Cambridge, the Lois orswell Collection, 1998<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Foto: © President <strong>and</strong> Fellows of Harvard College /<br />
Junius Beebe<br />
06 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
Coupe [II], 1917–18, Cup [II]<br />
Maple, 19 x 36.5 x 29.5 cm<br />
Centre Georges Pompidou, Musée national<br />
d‘art moderne, Paris<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: © Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris,<br />
dist. by RMN, Paris / © 2011, Adam Rzepka<br />
10 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
La négresse blanche [I], 1923<br />
White Negress [I]<br />
Veined marble, 38 x 14.3 x 18 cm<br />
Base: marble, two parts, overall height 24.8 cm<br />
Philadelphia Museum of Art. the Louise <strong>and</strong><br />
Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: Philadelphia Museum of Art<br />
03 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
Le baiser, 1907–08, The Kiss<br />
Plaster, 28 x 26 x 21.5 cm<br />
Hamburger Kunsthalle<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: © bpk, Berlin / Hamburger Kunsthalle<br />
07 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
Colonne sans fin, 1918, Endless Column<br />
oak, 203.2 x 25.1 x 24.5 cm<br />
the Museum of Modern Art, New York.<br />
Gift of Mary Sisler, 1983<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: © 2011, the Museum of Modern Art,<br />
New York, dist. by Scala, Florenz<br />
11 <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
L‘oiseau, 1923/47, The Bird<br />
Blue-gray marble, height 89.2 cm<br />
Base: limestone <strong>and</strong> veined marble, two parts,<br />
overall height 31.8 cm<br />
<strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong>, Riehen/Basel<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: Robert Bayer, Basel
SERRA<br />
BRANCUSI<br />
01 richard <strong>Serra</strong>, New york, 1987<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: <strong>Serra</strong> Studio, New York / Nancy Lee Katz<br />
03 richard <strong>Serra</strong><br />
Belts, 1966–67<br />
Vulcanized rubber <strong>and</strong> neon tubing, 182.9 x 762 x 50.8 cm<br />
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Panza Collection, 1991<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: <strong>Serra</strong> Studio, New York / Peter Moore<br />
06 richard <strong>Serra</strong><br />
Delineator, 1974–75<br />
Hot-rolled steel, two plates, each 595 x 300 x 2,5 cm<br />
Collection of the artist<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: <strong>Serra</strong> Studio, New York / © 2011, Gordon Matta-Clark<br />
Press images http://pressimages.fondationbeyeler.ch<br />
this visual material may be used for press purposes only. Reproduction is permitted for the duration of the exhibition only.<br />
Please employ the captions as given <strong>and</strong> the relevant copyrights. We kindly request you to forward us a voucher copy.<br />
FoNdAtIoN <strong>Beyeler</strong><br />
02 richard <strong>Serra</strong><br />
Olson, 1986<br />
Weatherproof steel, two identical conical sections inverted relative<br />
to each other, one 3.1 m high x 10.5 m along the chord,<br />
one 3.1 m high x 10.1 m along the chord, plates 5.1 cm thick<br />
Collection of the artist<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: <strong>Serra</strong> Studio, New York / Jenny okun, London<br />
04 richard <strong>Serra</strong><br />
House of Cards, 1969<br />
Lead, four plates, each 152.4 x 152.4 x 2.5 cm<br />
Collection of the artist<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: <strong>Serra</strong> Studio, New York<br />
07 richard <strong>Serra</strong><br />
Fern<strong>and</strong>o Pessoa, 2007–08<br />
Weatherproof steel, 300 x 900.4 x 20.3 cm<br />
Collection of the artist, courtesy Gagosian Gallery<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: Gagosian Gallery / Joshua White<br />
May 22 – August 21, 2011<br />
05 richard <strong>Serra</strong><br />
Strike: To Roberta <strong>and</strong> Rudy, 1969–1971<br />
Hot-rolled steel, 244 x 732 x 2.7<br />
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Panza Collection, 1991<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: <strong>Serra</strong> Studio, New York / Peter Moore<br />
08 richard <strong>Serra</strong><br />
The Consequence of Consequence, 2011<br />
Forged, weatherproof steel, two blocks, each 88.9 x 101.6 x 114.3 cm<br />
Collection of the artist<br />
© 2011, ProLitteris, Zürich<br />
Photo: <strong>Serra</strong> Studio, New York / Lorenz Kienzle
Biography<br />
<strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong> (1876 – 1957)<br />
1876 February 19: <strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong> is born in Hobita, Romania.<br />
1889 – He lives in Craiova, where he works as a waiter.<br />
1893<br />
1894 Enrolls in the Craiova School of Arts <strong>and</strong> Crafts.<br />
1898 Passes final examination at the Craiova school with honors, then transfers to the<br />
sculpture department of Bucharest National School of Fine Arts, from which he will<br />
receive a diploma in 1902.<br />
1904 With the support of a grant, goes to Paris, where he works as a dishwasher <strong>and</strong><br />
serves as an acolyte in the Romanian Church.<br />
1905 Enrolls in the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts <strong>and</strong> attends the sculpture class.<br />
1907 Works in the studio of Auguste Rodin, under whose influence his previous work has<br />
stood, but soon leaves to establish himself independently. Begins to carve directly in<br />
stone (taille directe) <strong>and</strong> develops a new, formally reduced approach.<br />
1909 In this or the following year, executes his first female torso <strong>and</strong> the first Sleeping<br />
Muse.<br />
1910 Earliest bird sculpture, Maïastra.<br />
1913 Participates in the “Armory Show” in New York. The First Step, <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s first wood<br />
sculpture.<br />
1914 First one-man exhibition, at the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession in New York.<br />
1916 Moves into a new studio at 8 Impasse Ronsin in Paris. Second one-man show, at the<br />
Modern Gallery, New York.<br />
1918 Emergence of the first surviving Endless Column.<br />
1920 Sc<strong>and</strong>al caused by Princess X at the Salon des Indépendants. Described as “phallic<br />
obscenity,” the work has to be removed before the show opens; it is later reinstalled.<br />
1921 Man Ray instructs <strong>Brancusi</strong> in photography.<br />
1926 End of January to end of March: First sojourn in the United States. <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s third<br />
one-man show held at the Wildenstein Galleries, New York. End of September to<br />
beginning of December: Second stay in New York, <strong>and</strong> organization of <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s<br />
fourth one-man show, at Brummer Gallery.<br />
1927 Court proceedings taken against <strong>Brancusi</strong> by the American customs service<br />
concerning the status of a Bird in Space: The artist is accused of having attempted to<br />
smuggle metal – declared as a work of art – into the U.S. A. A year later, a verdict is<br />
reached in <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s favor.
1938 Inauguration of the monumental Târgu Jiu ensemble, including Endless Column, Gate<br />
of the Kiss, <strong>and</strong> Table of Silence.<br />
1940 – During World War II, <strong>Brancusi</strong> lives in seclusion in Paris.<br />
1944<br />
1952 <strong>Brancusi</strong> is granted French citizenship.<br />
1955 On the initiative of James Johnson Sweeney, the first <strong>Brancusi</strong> museum retrospective<br />
is held, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.<br />
1956 <strong>Brancusi</strong> writes his last will <strong>and</strong> testament, in which he leaves his studio <strong>and</strong> all its<br />
contents to the French nation.<br />
1957 March 16: <strong>Brancusi</strong> dies in Paris <strong>and</strong> is buried at Montparnasse Cemetery.<br />
1958 Carola Giedion-Welcker writes the first comprehensive monograph on <strong>Brancusi</strong>.<br />
1997 Inauguration of the current Atelier <strong>Brancusi</strong>, in the new annex by Renzo Piano in front<br />
of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Biography<br />
<strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong> (*1939)<br />
1939 November 2: <strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong> is born in San Francisco.<br />
1957 – Attends the University of California Berkeley <strong>and</strong> Santa Barbara, graduating<br />
1961 in 1961 with a B.A. in English literature. Works during this period in steel plants to<br />
earn a living.<br />
1961 – Studies at Yale University, New Haven, <strong>and</strong> graduates with a B.A.<br />
1964 <strong>and</strong> M.A. in fine arts.<br />
1964 – Receives a travel grant <strong>and</strong> spends a year in Paris, where he attends the<br />
1965 Académie de la Gr<strong>and</strong>e Chaumière. Makes daily visits to the reconstructed Atelier<br />
<strong>Brancusi</strong> in the Palais de Tokyo, where he makes drawings that provide access to<br />
sculpture for him.<br />
1966 First one-man show, at Galleria La Salita in Rome, comprising the Habitats with live<br />
<strong>and</strong> stuffed animals. Begins creating pieces in rubber <strong>and</strong> fluorescent tubes.<br />
1968 – Makes a series of works in molten <strong>and</strong> cast lead; the first Lead Props are<br />
1969 exhibited. Makes his first films <strong>and</strong> begins working in Corten steel. First one-man<br />
show in the U.S., at Leo Castelli warehouse in New York.<br />
1970 Sets to work on Pulitzer Piece: Stepped Elevations, his first site-specific l<strong>and</strong>scape<br />
sculpture.<br />
1971 First black canvases emerge.<br />
1975 Design for a first Curved Piece, for the Centre Pompidou, Paris, which, however, is<br />
rejected.<br />
1977 Installation of Terminal at “Documenta 6” in Kassel, which subsequently is acquired<br />
by the City of Bochum <strong>and</strong> becomes <strong>Serra</strong>’s first permanent work in an urban context.<br />
1978 The Kunsthalle Tübingen mounts <strong>Serra</strong>’s first retrospective, which travels to the<br />
Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden.<br />
1980 Participates in the Venice Biennale. Installation of Open Field Vertical / Horizontal<br />
Elevations at Wenken Park, Riehen/Basel, as part of “Skulptur im 20. Jahrhundert,”<br />
an exhibition co-organized by Ernst <strong>Beyeler</strong>.<br />
1981 Installation of Tilted Arc on Federal Plaza, New York. Marries Clara Weyergraf, an art<br />
historian.<br />
1986 Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Installation of Olson at Leo<br />
Castelli Gallery in New York.<br />
1988 Mounts a major installation of drawings at Kunsthalle Basel.<br />
1989 Tilted Arc is destroyed by the U.S. government.
1992 In addition to numerous other works in America <strong>and</strong> Europe, installs Intersection on<br />
Theaterplatz in Basel.<br />
2004 Unveiling of the sculpture Dirk’s Pod on the Novartis Campus in Basel.<br />
2005 The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao unveils The Matter of Time, <strong>Serra</strong>’s largest<br />
executed work to date.<br />
2007 Second large retrospective, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.<br />
2011 Retrospective of works on paper, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, San<br />
Francisco Museum of Modern Art, <strong>and</strong> Menil Collection in Houston.
Citations<br />
“Simplicity is not an end in art, but one arrives at simplicity in spite of oneself, in approaching<br />
the real sense of things.”<br />
<strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
“It is not the things that are difficult to make, but to put ourselves in [a] condition to make<br />
them.”<br />
<strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
“There is always a goal. In order to reach it, you have to liberate yourself from yourself.”<br />
<strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong><br />
„When I was living in Paris I hadn’t made any sculpture yet but I went to <strong>Brancusi</strong>’s studio<br />
almost daily for a good part of a month <strong>and</strong> made drawings there. I looked at his work as a<br />
h<strong>and</strong>book of possibilities.”<br />
<strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong><br />
“Basically I would like to make sculptures which st<strong>and</strong> for a new kind of experience, which<br />
open up possibilities for sculpture which were simply not there before.”<br />
<strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong><br />
According to <strong>Serra</strong>, we react to them [large works] before we are in a position to analyze<br />
them; they draw us completely into their physical corporeality even if we just go past them, or<br />
want to analyze them or think about them.<br />
<strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong>
Exhibition Program<br />
Events Accompanying the<br />
<strong>Constantin</strong> <strong>Brancusi</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong> Exhibition<br />
Artists Talk with <strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong><br />
Sunday, May 22, 2011, 11 am<br />
<strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong>, one of the most significant of contemporary sculptors, in conversation with curator<br />
Oliver Wick.<br />
<strong>Brancusi</strong> & <strong>Serra</strong> Soirée<br />
Friday, June 3, Friday, August 5, 2011, 6 – 9 pm<br />
Reduced admission fees <strong>and</strong> free admission for young people to age 25; curator’s tour, art &<br />
barbeque. Detailed program available on our website:<br />
http://www.fondationbeyeler.ch/en/Information/Calendar<br />
Sunday Matinée Concert Series<br />
Sunday, June 5, 2011, 11.30 am<br />
Works by Philip Glass, Morton Feldman, Walter Piston or Eliot Carter<br />
Performed by string quartet <strong>and</strong> flute of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra<br />
Sunday, June 26, 2011, 11.30 am<br />
Works by Maurice Ravel, Erik Satie or Albert Roussel<br />
Performed by string quartet <strong>and</strong> flute of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra<br />
Sunday, August 21, 2011, 11.30 am<br />
Works by Philip Glass, Claude Debussy (<strong>and</strong> Arthur Honegger)<br />
Performed by string orchestra <strong>and</strong> harp of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra<br />
All admission tickets for <strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong> events are valid for visiting the exhibition prior to the event.<br />
Tour of Novartis Campus<br />
Thursday, July 7, Tuesday, August 9, 2011, 5 – 6.30 pm<br />
Tour of Novartis Campus with viewing of <strong>Richard</strong> <strong>Serra</strong>’s sculpture Dirk’s Pod, 2004, <strong>and</strong> further works<br />
of art on the grounds.<br />
Number of places limited<br />
Art Appreciation<br />
Public Tours <strong>and</strong> Events<br />
Daily schedule available on: www.fondationbeyeler.ch/en/Information/Calendar<br />
Private Tours for Groups<br />
Information <strong>and</strong> registration: tel. +41 (0)61 645 97 20, fuehrungen@fondationbeyeler.ch<br />
Offer for Schools<br />
Information <strong>and</strong> registration at: www.fondationbeyeler.ch/en/exhibitions/art-education<br />
Online Ticketing for Admissions <strong>and</strong> Events at www.fondationbeyeler.ch<br />
Or direct advance sales at museum desk
Partners of <strong>Fondation</strong> <strong>Beyeler</strong><br />
Donors<br />
Main Partners<br />
Partners<br />
Media Partners<br />
We thank Basler Versicherungen <strong>and</strong> Novartis for their kind support.<br />
FONDATION BEYELER