A work of art as an experimental exhibit. Broodthaers and the Eagle
Experimentation is integral to literature and art as well as to the natural sciences. The search for new artistic means of expression, the formation of a new canon and the use of new artistic materials are all based on findings obtained through experimentation. Experimentation was a key category for...
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| Vydáno v: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles, |
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| Médium: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Jazyk: | Anglais |
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Angles
2020
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openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_1050 |
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openedition |
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OpenEdition Journal |
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Anglais |
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Article ou chapitre numérique |
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0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/ |
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art contemporain art conceptuel 1960 (années) 1970 (années) Broodthaers Marcel critique institutionnelle expérience artistique rôle du spectateur contemporary art artistic experiment Broodthaers Marcel concept art 1960s 1970s institutional critique role of the viewer |
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art contemporain art conceptuel 1960 (années) 1970 (années) Broodthaers Marcel critique institutionnelle expérience artistique rôle du spectateur contemporary art artistic experiment Broodthaers Marcel concept art 1960s 1970s institutional critique role of the viewer König, Susanne A work of art as an experimental exhibit. Broodthaers and the Eagle |
| description |
Experimentation is integral to literature and art as well as to the natural sciences. The search for new artistic means of expression, the formation of a new canon and the use of new artistic materials are all based on findings obtained through experimentation. Experimentation was a key category for the modernists in particular. The difference of modern art with previous periods lies especially with its having given a new programmatic significance to experimental procedures in both the natural sciences and art. Modern artists are characterised by a stylistic pluralism as an expression of a constantly changing society, accompanied by a new understanding of art. In particular, art after 1945 gave rise to a new concept of art hardly anticipated in the traditional genres of painting and sculpture, for example. Thus “experimentation” nowadays refers to controlled, purposive action aiming at some specific goal: the invention of something new or the production of new knowledge. This quest for the new characterises modern art and in particular contemporary art in a variety of ways. While controlled artistic practices may at first glance seem to conflict with the artist’s claim to freedom, artists do indeed seek new practices that are repeatable and therefore controllable. Not everything that is contemporary is experimental. “Experimental” does not just refer to something new — experimental art rather comes from certain experimental methods. In his work Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles (1968-72) the Belgian artist and poet Marcel Broodthaers investigates a particular form of experimental art. Broodthaers’ fictional museum project provides a good basis for a study of the concept, as the artist has himself repeatedly referred to the experimental quality of his art. Indeed, our starting assumption in this essay is that this work by Broodthaers illustrates in a paradigmatic way central elements of experimentation in contemporary art of the 1960s and 70s. For example, on 16 May 1972 Broodthaers opened a section of a museum entitled The Eagle from the Oligocene to the Present in the Städtischer Kunsthalle in Düsseldorf, signing it with the following words: “Marcel Broodthaers shows an experimental exhibition of his Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles, Section des Figures”. The first part of this essay examines the experiment in which a museum with altogether twelve sections is declared to be a work of art. The second part then explicates the experiment in which an exhibition is declared to be a work of art. Finally, the third part examines the role of the viewer within Broodthaers’ artistic experiment. |
| author |
König, Susanne |
| author_facet |
König, Susanne |
| author_sort |
König, Susanne |
| title |
A work of art as an experimental exhibit. Broodthaers and the Eagle |
| title_short |
A work of art as an experimental exhibit. Broodthaers and the Eagle |
| title_full |
A work of art as an experimental exhibit. Broodthaers and the Eagle |
| title_fullStr |
A work of art as an experimental exhibit. Broodthaers and the Eagle |
| title_full_unstemmed |
A work of art as an experimental exhibit. Broodthaers and the Eagle |
| title_sort |
work of art as an experimental exhibit. broodthaers and the eagle |
| publisher |
Angles |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| container_title |
URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles |
| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/angles.1050 https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/angles/1050 |
| _version_ |
1877293946662551552 |
| spelling |
openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_1050 https://doi.org/10.4000/angles.1050 urn:doi:10.4000/angles.1050 en https://journals.openedition.org/angles/1050 2020-07-16T02:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/9mzd https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ A work of art as an experimental exhibit. Broodthaers and the Eagle Angles Société des Anglicistes de l'Enseignement Supérieur info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/2274-2042 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles König, Susanne art contemporain art conceptuel 1960 (années) 1970 (années) Broodthaers Marcel critique institutionnelle expérience artistique rôle du spectateur contemporary art artistic experiment Broodthaers Marcel concept art 1960s 1970s institutional critique role of the viewer Experimentation is integral to literature and art as well as to the natural sciences. The search for new artistic means of expression, the formation of a new canon and the use of new artistic materials are all based on findings obtained through experimentation. Experimentation was a key category for the modernists in particular. The difference of modern art with previous periods lies especially with its having given a new programmatic significance to experimental procedures in both the natural sciences and art. Modern artists are characterised by a stylistic pluralism as an expression of a constantly changing society, accompanied by a new understanding of art. In particular, art after 1945 gave rise to a new concept of art hardly anticipated in the traditional genres of painting and sculpture, for example. Thus “experimentation” nowadays refers to controlled, purposive action aiming at some specific goal: the invention of something new or the production of new knowledge. This quest for the new characterises modern art and in particular contemporary art in a variety of ways. While controlled artistic practices may at first glance seem to conflict with the artist’s claim to freedom, artists do indeed seek new practices that are repeatable and therefore controllable. Not everything that is contemporary is experimental. “Experimental” does not just refer to something new — experimental art rather comes from certain experimental methods. In his work Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles (1968-72) the Belgian artist and poet Marcel Broodthaers investigates a particular form of experimental art. Broodthaers’ fictional museum project provides a good basis for a study of the concept, as the artist has himself repeatedly referred to the experimental quality of his art. Indeed, our starting assumption in this essay is that this work by Broodthaers illustrates in a paradigmatic way central elements of experimentation in contemporary art of the 1960s and 70s. For example, on 16 May 1972 Broodthaers opened a section of a museum entitled The Eagle from the Oligocene to the Present in the Städtischer Kunsthalle in Düsseldorf, signing it with the following words: “Marcel Broodthaers shows an experimental exhibition of his Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles, Section des Figures”. The first part of this essay examines the experiment in which a museum with altogether twelve sections is declared to be a work of art. The second part then explicates the experiment in which an exhibition is declared to be a work of art. Finally, the third part examines the role of the viewer within Broodthaers’ artistic experiment. L’expérience fait partie intégrante des sciences naturelles, de la littérature et de l’art. La recherche de nouveaux moyens d’expression artistique, la création d’un nouveau canon ou l’utilisation de nouveaux matériaux artistiques, tout cela vient de découvertes accompagnées d’expériences. En particulier pour l’âge moderne, l’expérience est considérée comme une catégorie clé. La principale différence de l’art moderne par rapport aux époques précédentes est que dans la modernité, la signification programmatique des méthodes expérimentales dans les sciences naturelles et les arts a changé. La modernité a été marquée par le pluralisme stylistique comme expression d’une société en constante évolution et s’est accompagnée d’une nouvelle conception de l’art. Par-dessus tout, l’art d’après 1945 constitue un nouveau concept de l’art, qui ne correspond guère aux genres artistiques habituels tels que la peinture et la sculpture traditionnelles. À l’heure actuelle, l’expérience est considérée comme une action contrôlée et axée sur des buts avec un objectif principal: pour inventer de nouvelles choses ou générer de nouvelles idées. Cette quête de quelque chose de nouveau caractérise l’art moderne et surtout l’art contemporain à bien des égards. Tandis que les pratiques artistiques contrôlables semblent à première vue contredire la prétention artistique de liberté, les artistes recherchent aussi dans leurs œuvres des pratiques nouvelles, reproduisibles et donc maîtrisables. Cependant, tout ce qui est contemporain n’est pas nécessairement expérimental. Expérimental n’est pas un terme qui désigne quelque chose de nouveau en général, en revanche, l’art expérimental a été créé par certaines méthodes expérimentales. L’œuvre Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles (1968-1972) de l’artiste et poète belge Marcel Broodthaers explore une forme particulière d’art expérimental. Le projet de musée fictif de Broodthaers est un bon choix parce que l’artiste lui-même s’est souvent référé à la qualité expérimentale de son art. En fait, selon l’hypothèse initiale de cet article, l’œuvre d’art de Broodthaers montre de façon paradigmatique des éléments centraux de l’expérience de l’art contemporain des années 60 et 70. Le 16 mai 1972, par exemple, Broodthaers ouvrit au Städtische Kunsthalle de Düsseldorf un département intitulé “Der Adler vom Oligozän” et le signa ainsi: “Marcel Broodthaers présente une exposition expérimentale de son Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles, Section des Figures”. La première partie de cet essai examine l’expérience dans laquelle un musée de douze sections au total est déclaré œuvre d’art. Le second aborde ensuite l’expérience dans laquelle une exposition est déclarée œuvre d’art. Et la troisième examine le rôle du spectateur dans l’expérience artistique de Broodthaer. |