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ISSUES AND COMMENTARY

Uninvited Guests: HowWashington Lost "The Dinner Party"

Intended for a new multicultural center at the University of the District. of Columbia,Judy Chicago's rrift was scuttled by media sensationalism and congressional attack.

BY LUCY R. UPPARD,"111 the $IlIlUH!' of IISO, yet anotbft' baaJe i.ll

the 'II'U for freedom of sytIlbolk speec.b. was- foulbr ill~ ill the washln(torl, D.c.,i mtdla and 011. c:olIeae C:&Illpas.. 1bt lin of Judyi -.:JUca&o'. IIlWUlltDW felllinbllllSUJla1ioc. n,

DiJrMr Pattr. 10 the primarily Afric::an-ArDerian1 L"lliYmitJ of the District of CoIWllbi& (UDC).

aIonJ with its SlIb5eqllalt withdl1.'nJ. under 1l.rt,was OCl1r 4t1ll.Ur Cll'Yft'fd bl the MIioIl.al press;but in D.c.. • toWn fuekd by poUtkaIlnrripe, itwas I Q,UH citibre. The art was lpited by thetl\C'OUnter of thM lneendiar}' e!emtnts: the

I naLlonaJ. conservative attack on contemporaryeulture, racial politk:s In the capital and 17&1

• DiIlIM'T Pcr.t,itsdt. wbidl mul.ns. contelldousotIject despite iu h1sUlrical Y&1ld.ltioll as. teml.o-

• 1St an. Lib other recent attKb apiast art on-uwnJM pvctDds, n.. DbIJur h1'tf d'alrtIuns into reIie! the Rladoasblp bttften pc~

lie an aDd tocaI. and lWiolW politics, senditI&lIleUIIG &bout femillist Uld mwtieulalral "1ezt.sithitT' UId orp.aiziac. &ad d'erill& rec IJlOtberJCU'7 &UJDpIe IJl npt-'IIiq Itn.teIia to debm­we the Flnl Am 1_,~ DfaIr Prsrtr is • blIP tab:ed-medlu

irtsWladoa celI.lft'ed IIIl all ope Dianplar tabl:e,~ feet to • silk, set with elaboraulJ aabnJi.4tred lUlUlen, cobleu. eqtlay and plates on •UOG-tile Boor of womea'. o.ama. and &eaXIlpa'nied br tapeSQ'J baMm and hIstorical. 6ocumen.lIlIon. The subject of • alm and t1ro boob. it hidtnc:ountet'td Its shut of COlltr'OYUSJ _ben it wasfint exhibited at the San PtaJldsclI Museum of)(odm. An [a um I_Au... Apr. '801 uxI wasdttd as a.a eYi1 ua=pIe ill Coqres1; when theCUI'TUIt waft 01 censorship bepn In the spriftI of1t8l1. 1'be a 0'I'tfSiIe places, each ~titlJ afamous or fISUn'tiCted WOIIWI rn.a history, bara.I:aracI: deIicns that JUIPIZ acb 1JOIUn'S W'eIrI:I ac::a.p1id"'..... ucl CIA abo tit read asao.eru. tqilW baateL A.cdallMd as a ttmbt­ist mhvdpiece by -. ad cDsm.... II)' ocll­tn u "'Dot art, jat -=ioklu: 7k~PrmrIIa.s SiDee appand ill siJ: coa.ntrie:s aDd 14"tII_ attrKtIII& bIoekbust.et crowds. blllltl8 It.u minId to uorap because it QS btslAalftJto sUftt (rca eanstult tn.\'eUlIJ, and Chkqolelt the t1nIt had come to Jln It a pmnanftIth....

In Ftbnw11i9Q. nqotlatioas on pertlWItnthoustq tor "" iHlotw Ptmy optMd bttwetntht boanb or the Uahenity ot tbt District otCoIlUDbia IJld Tluvu&b the FlowtT (lTF)-theCallIomia-based nonproAl corporation tha1 ar·eulaud and <2ra for nt l>inMr I'orty, owns

and ptaces Cbk:qo's BinA Proj«:t and sponsonher cumflt "Ol't, 7k HoI«:tnut Proi«L TheIdea 0fiIiJwed ,nth UDC truster Paaida:lbthls, a Washi"~ romla'ushtanl xcmatY 01 the tr'tUUrJ Wlder Cutu",and bononry IIlIttaber or the TrF board. ShekZlt"<f ma)'lll':uno.. Bany tnlallbe art, da)'S 0(tbt ciriI riJhts~t Uld had betfl asked byIWllto torm a priyue tDlbaMDt tor lfDC. 7krn..tr ~. a coasisleDt~ aJldlI'lOIWy-nW:tr ill tbt c:oane of Its nlnt-yar iIlur·natioa.&l. tow', .. u aanetlyt prospect tor thtstnzau... uniftflity.

Al Uoc. 7k DUnwr Pflrtr .u to joUl uexpandlnl collection or •.lr.trican·AmtTic:an art.IncJudln1 a I.J.rIe IfOllP of paintlnp II)' the well·known WashinlUlft abItnetiollilt Sam Ciilll&nland .orb by E1iWletb Cadtn.~ Be:udtn..-\lma Thoaw. IIak WOOliruJI, Jacob La-msc:tand Lois )laI1ou Joaes. monl oc.bm.. These­a10na ,..ith lIJOI'b by a JnlUp of kItaI _hilt ColorFitld paialen and _ whlu roc faculty 1lIflft-

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tltrs abo In the university colJeetiol\$-wm tob«lorrtt the eort or what WIS pr'tSmud in earl!1890 IS J lfO\Uld·brukit\laulticulturai an etn­ttr. a hopeful eoaIition btnloeta artists of oMor,ftmlnim and othtf anisa~ the stt\Iglefor rl'ftdom and hUllWl equality.' Tbt rision.rtealb C1liaIo wistluUJ, ....as WODdftfui. poIIl·~ flffill"HoolliJll.'": Yrt by oet. '!. IlIIQ, I1lft"u utraordlnuJ train of political rima: aalad­aaullI in I studmt strikt, she had bem rorad towltbc1Rw her Jln.

E arly on. )lathis told CtllcalD about the deli·cacr of D.c:s complex politics and the rela·

tionship of the university to the aty budlfl &lidlO C'OnJ,rtUionaiapproprlallons: "Bte2use or theDistrict"s home-rule swus and its dtptndt~onCongtss for appropriations,~ she wrott in a Feb­ruary 1m nwno. '"the wUytnity is ttdutic:al1)- affdtral inslilutiol'L-

The oriiPnaI idea was [0 pUI CMCI~-s pitt'tand Ihe res! IIf d'le lIlultkultuni colltctiotl in the

· 'OC's MaUlti' BWldina. alrudy utider mIOVa·, 0lI for the art c!eparulleftt _bose head, YvClllM; &ner, supported the }deL' 8\lt spact provediIbJ; Tk o..r~ requires &.COO 1Qu&ft

·~ The bat decisloa wa«o pIKt it ill the east'ittl of tbe ba....... IUIcorica1 but detericnJ..

I:II CamePt Ubrv1. &bo • UDC"s Mowle Ver­10ll Sqaan caapa trl W~'s OowfttoWll

•ut cflsaict, Mar tbII Nadc!UJ MIIJeUIIl of WOlDf:Il;; II the AnI.. TIle li!ntJ's roof leaked IQd thei jilliaa paibWlp a1radJ !wlIln&~ wm notproperIJ and tor IDd rartJr visited. Since 11186,

I'Il«WJ bad beerl &UotatecI b7 die D.C. cit}' council

I :or l'ISlOnIiOa of the 1l1nt7. but the unI'1ftSity: lid lICK 111M!: it. La tJv spriq of 1-' lritb nt-Dian' 1'flnJ as a~ Itl archItKaJraI

IAmt was caDed ill. UlIUb full, ckt&iIed daiInsUId~ ud. tmtnl coon1ia.atDr for the

: 9ftIjea wu c:IxIM:A.On Jaae Ii. the UDC trusteeS formaUy

.~ tile lift or 77u Diaan' Pmv by aIJIlItIitllous fOCe; no 0Clt m the wUytrRty, the

. eommuniQ' or tbe prill lllIde any COIIlrlltfll Inuri, July. Ole dty COlIDdl appmred a S1.2·millIoft bond biD trolll the uniftrsity's capitalbadIet Ul resawe tht.llbrv1 UId pfePU'" it for

I 111 IX-1'ftr9. It bUd like smooth sailirll......Darizl& u. -m '" J.... bowe'ter, NJIlOn

bd beIIUI to c:in:tala1e GIl campti 01 III 1Illdet­If1llU'Id sabotap ca.~ apinsl 7k DbfIwr1'fmr mounuG by .. membm of the tacultysenate &Ad -1badowJ outlidm 1D the potrerYaCUWII Idl by the ft.riD& of uniftftit}' presidt'ntbtu! Coruda It the eDd of May. Tbm! wtft

I1IaIe • lilt lbat • art by trb.ite artisU sboaIdlit il:lcIDdId Ia tile UDC coIkc:doGs; appueadJl!lt1 .... ....,.. tMc wIaltI: lit .. alradrtbtrt aDd hid bee r. ,.,., Tbeft was abo l

IIl(ft slpfftnM "'IIP'F- Ul tile Barry­appointed tnISIeeS (1DaaJ of _bolD. nrt ~.IllJ of the a.iI riptl __t), pankularlJ1I'ithht the ri&bt willi of lite faculty sawe. bead·ed by Dan Qwman (0IlCt reeommtnded u •lJl&yoral poaibWtJ bJ theW~ Tian, •local ri&ht·.tq~ 0'I'ftltd br ReverendSo M)'UIII MOOD'S UniAcadoa Cbun:h), and Oledep:t w-ie contIapDt oa CLlDplll.1

011 July 17, stUl 1lUWU't or buiI4iJl& opposi.Iioa. QUc:ap Uld bel' hllSlud,~00ftaId WODdaaa, arrmd in D.C. tor the dofta·tioD CIftSIIlOaJ It tile~ lift the 20th. 011Ja/y 18, tileW~ 1'&us r&D • front-papbeadline: -UDC's IU m1Woa '1XMer': Ftlaiftisl:amrork CUIa UDC iDdifesdoA... 'Mle ItOnll. hadbrvka, altboaP at tile time tnt suspected ItsfortlL:

III this ia.ltlaJ WCl~ 1'iMa sror" Atri­QIl."-ric:u ~ Jooeua Bole BanaspIIOed io t1te nabuded NEA (whkb helped flzDdnc or.wr Panr IA the '701) and c:IahMd, iaa£.euruelr, tbt nc m.-r P'a:rtJ Ud bteo'"blaRed la tneral an pDeries uoo.ad: the CIlUll­

tlT becaase It depicts WOMft'S pnitl.lla 011pIares.- Sbe said, ImIfUdr, that the UDC wasladDl "'mwntin& ft.sc:al prob!mII.... Then sbt­anZlOUllC:ed that the -Boant 01 Trustees willspmd IIUrlr 11.6 mU1lcm to acquin and utubit.piec:e of COfttm'mial art." The impUeation tha.c

$0 much pubUe lIIOlIe1 was beUl& spent to bur(and bouse) • wort of art was I\W&ftteed toraise hKkIes lalhe etoQOl!IIQII1 strapped dty,slDCt :Aa.tb.Is', prinu IWIIdiac UZ'a1qiIII 1fWRnot _daM4. !JI adrI_ Barns', IoCDlIUIIt

lUde It apput that tile~ ..,. wasbtiq tUm Ina the .$dlllDI's t.dIy mtCdIedopen..tiq tuIpt tuber dwI InIIll the capitalbudftl. wllJcb b eotIrdJ Iep&rUe Uld c:auot beIIItd lor operadn& txpeIII&

The MXt 41." Barra's IeOXld atUdt washeadllaecl "D.C. Colmdl's 'suit)" qlMStiooed uHW leams of'Dlnner Putr:" She reputed theusertioa that th. $1.6 miUIoo was to -acquireaDd uhIblt • draaatk: piIclI at suual JaI1p­~.. qUGtiq Rep. DaAa~ (i-C&Uf.),an.Yid cealCl'Sl!JJI..mau wbo called~DIa·.". Pan, -..in! xxaal In.'' aDd Rep. Stu.Puns (R,VL), wbo said It was ..deuty poI'IlI>

~- 'Tbe HW bad pnlOabl, "1eamed or thas1t1lat1llll throuCb OleW~ Tfaa. wtlk:h• year eariIu bad broktll tile storT 01 AJldresSernno's Pta CANt to oar eonscicIldllus 1ep1a·....M0CIe)'. &1001 with mbiAfOl'1lWioa about

moDrJ', was lhe ... risible isAe Ia nuor.wr 1'anJ (WQo,tiS" &1tboaP rtciIII UMIsuisa lestaWI bnadI the sar!IIcL MoDer ..&Iso the _ ~ ... til IlCIidarI,and the pria18d lec:b 1ft sdIl _wrpd bl _lusioe &Dd eon.tndietioL 'then an thNe ..;wpolftU a1loln the c.pla: IlIDCIiq: sttUePes thatW'fte M¥er PublictJ' UDlIersUlod. First, UDC was!lOt bo)'iD& nu DiatIr Pmr. &1lhoqb It ..rapoasibll I.. .... it &OCIIIniDI b:l aakaID'sud TTF"s speciIeJ""'.- l1DC ........... aJIflft1.-l at 12....s-d.eM...,. iNatbe capital~ bad ........ (1IIlIbt!ort nuDbIMrhrqappeu.t. (be_)for capitalla&p:o. ". tbe ean.p: IJln.rr. tbe m.-r~~ werenot dlft'I'tiJIC ur 01 these fads. Tbtrd, tM UDCmdow'meIlt plus for a lIIultiellJtun.l art C'eftttrdepetlded 01'1 priYl1e, not pubUe aaone)'.

1M widaprad bdiet, efttl &lllOCII tbase SJIII"patbeQc to n.. Dfatr 1'onJ. that IIICIDI')' ..

petUeI:, needed lor bIIic edotatiolI:Ij~

... br:iq IIRd Iastad to buy 1klJiaIr I'onrwas M'ftf cbal""r" ia the ...tl& 1Dd .. theI&rpst uiI. la tile plQjecl's c:oe.. '1'0 thb day,not • siqle tIIe8IllIr~ dle WIllliJlltDo pre.1Lae9't!' Intft'riewed me aMt tkiI project." IQS PatMathIs. "Tbey'9t JOCteII aD their iaConaadoIl 06the sttftt, b, nIDIOI'. Ina ctIssldeat IRJUPI andother Implar pc II ...

The iWIl of IID,tD) 1C11'·n. DfaJwr larttstnIII'pOI'QdoII brochures, iaIaruce ad fordeuizII of tile eabroidend n:uers did tbIont·Ica1lT ClDt fra UDC"s~ 1lIIdIrt.&lthouIh these tlDllb __ ~ be~--.diatdy fnln priT&tt -.rcIS Uld tbB. raau:hmave to _ by pablk ruDds~ b:l~Doa intrOduced by Coql ")('"111 If.Dym&lI., (D-D.C.). W'ttil ru m.-r Pvtr ra·sonUl, evalllIted It ea. S! aBlioft. pIaDs wereunder WI' to ha" eacb of the • HttiDp sp0n­sored by dl!'erent 1ftIliIJ15 IIlll irldhidlI&b: (It15.000 each. thai cuw to $195,CO)).la -xtition. a

Money, along withmisinfonnation aboutmoney. was the mostvisible issue in_Dm-Partyconboversy,ahhoughracisin and sexismwere festering justbelow the Surface.

.silIP doaGr had aIrudy pied&ed U25JXll beforetht CI)lItnnaSJ bepA. • bequest tIw was told­tiouI on UR ac:eept&I'lOe of n.. DiaIT 1'rarrud woWd haft bftn the 1arpsl slap ......ill the coUep:'s hi5torJ. A nllDlber of .Uric:ut­A1Mric:atl utists W'fte abo prepared to docwttheir wurt to the eolleetioa. 1TF hid tII1isIIdGrea Edwards, • respected Afric:aa.Americ:upe!Jlter ftacn Callfomla, to IIOlIdt worb rr.major bI&d: West Coast anists, hlthaul WIftIlfto.seated In me UDC eoIlertiom, for the ..mdow1DeDt prop'ID/lIlwticultun.I cmtRr.-

.ueonfiq: til Jkp. D)'aaDJ's Ionnla, """dollar rUed by tbe IIAhtenit)' weald be mardirelIby fin: '''' cIoUan. The dar the lIlaltladbnlart cmter opalId. b:l the pubtic. the ..halit)'mdoWflleDt WOIdd haft ac:cnaed DeItiJ IU 1IIiJ.lkIa.u Later, wbeD TM DfrDwr 1'srf1 had beeawithmwn, Jim Ford, 1dllUDistntin: usistam tocity COWICiI IDIIIlbet Hlkia ...... sUd, "TtwIDtiftnitJ ud tile dty haft IDa: upwanb ot120 .uu. by die _, dWIp baft .. a....-~CoetlIsiIlI ... ICCIlQIIQ ~ t1Ie .......Itf&IlIIP Ira JamlIllIdlaI nr DfaJwr 1'rJnIcau1lltJ CIXltribaCed 10 a ctiaWe 01 pu!lIk ...tnISI.. ComtiIlCtiDa &cares "'" •~probIeawic ua. Colt estiIII.a.tes tor buk JbW"tur&I repairs (root ud Dood d&tuct) &Ad interi­or rtftO\'I.tIocls of the e.atMsie Ubrvy', east

\wtI'1I (_ but not &ll of which Wti'I Dr-.r~) weft CIllIISWIUy dwICiDI .­0ftriappiD&. Janeua Barra told 1M tJaalslle..ial'onMd by the Oty~ of PIdIiIcWorts Wl "Donul repain" woaJd haft beea~ ud thal .. edditk-al 11.1lIlI1Im .. required to Pftl"ri* for the 11"1work:" Ia priat. bo+reftr. 1M said that t1Ie ..is:Ae (whidl she IftiISW.t as $l.I IIII11Ic. I"IIbIrthan IlJ 1IilUaa) was aDocued aal1 tor~01 I mann!ne ud stair&, Instal!.... 01 III~elnaldr ud uppadilIa f1I tJle ....ti1adlla ma-:.. qaote:l PIIhlit Worb JIIlOia..... TaraBuIilu. as II'" this .. ..., .. __beca.- die desip ~,'-t: I .,.,­(Baailta ..... q..ced by tJle If'i t , :r=POll ..rUe that iateriGr~~ _a1loln $1.6111i1lion ud a DeW nf1I ...." lie ..addItiouJ aso.m)"

In fact, bowner. the D.c. eowc:iI's n.t·1IlIIl*bond Issue had Ionl beeft~ to sarucaaraIrepairs UId iIlterior m-&tions: an JdltItirlIW$400.000 th&t ICalnUlIOdatinl 7'U /HaW 1"U7tr~ 6em&lld was to be~ !.be out

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Rep. Dana Rohrabac!'ercalled the work "weirdsexual art." Rep. StanParriS said it wa."clearly~ phiC.·!TlMIlr source probablythe WashinfltotJ Ti......which __ broke the storyof senano's PI.. Christ.

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.•" itt ••..,.,;1'8 .

In s.ptember, • small butmedl.sophistlcated groupof Afrocentric studentscalled KIamshaI,"Wakaupl" In Swahili) occupiedtwo cam_ buiIcIJngs and__a nst of 44cIemands, including therefusal of Chicago'S work.

H ad tbI: studeIIl suikt Me IlapptDtd. ~DiDIr Ionr/litlC par1JltrS1!Jlt probabl,.

WOIl1d hi.. sum'l'ed. The atudl ypllll DI Dflt­"'" I'wtJ CUIIId tbI: DOdoII of • IUkicuItllrtJoncer III II ..... ill ..-. too. 'nil wa: •__ __ lni:aiIt ud '"1PattieIl.ItinI""

:a:.-:u.=e,:/=.-::,,:n..m:.c:::aIara .,.-..... ta.- lIIr .... -*t:iclII.NrUsa II • I1IraleUlC • "}lOtitical CIiI'ftCt­

MSL.. ne pr,.,...t ceIIIU" at UDC CIlIdd ":It\ ialpinlllIlIt Oldy ullibiciclll UId art,..-Id ada·doll. abo••udllltedld hIu.oricaI uaI)'Sis 01tbt 6liillM'",. benretIl f..... IIId tbe d'riIrilbu -.elIl. 011 .hidt it .. -*lid 10 tbe10L Tbeft art abo~ paraBeb Ilcntt:a tile_'sart Wi IFI ill die 'illI UId die recta­...... or cUDnI specilcitr ill tbe 1DIud_

"" ...It is.ad faa that.,...,~C'IlIlectiDIIIl ....... IahwJ;ity ..... Uw:Ud .......,.. rabiIla 1M~ fII...,ud~ dlit aaIDdII 1k Dfawr ,.,.eoUL At die ,.... anwart:",• - III ~le.d Il.~ ...,.,. AfIIcg.QeIfclIII dt7. tor_ __ ......-. Tee tlIen WIn. sr-­......."dlit~.......... -rt. '7hF • "'" _ .., " dt8t~ ad Dtdt er.t ..... ., die............ *f...-n" 7k DiaJwr,." • c:.aIl:l W ... pnICrtSIift lUd: artSc. ,.. n. InIIlMS appemtdy felt thatblack JftIiMDc ... nmIlbaI;o hiP .... 1klHUII' IWtr tIlal: sudI CDlItICCS -.Ad sIsapI,.rub I)iDp wont UId be sen •~..

II _ • briIIiaIl deM dlal ..... b1't lImd*~ T1w is lyJIimI of 1M WQ' """'"_ UId __ _ slPI '" 1M k!1ft .....

hIft.. 1M-. 1M UIIif-.It UId b• ,b "cfIfIMMt. aN)1_• ....,.__ • 6IeriPIf.

....... lIIIiI:IIlIkft ...............'"1M DiRriC'f$ '-* rl"... 1 "" ~, &IIallacll. hIOIa errup;aioll COlIId • __ !left.1dI _ tfeni'friy ... 1M 8KI CIIliMIb U!C'DiIu'ict', ....... A d.uraaws JIftftdnn .. Mt bf.....~ 1auc:inIIl!"IaP .. aniRIc:~.....

QUeqt tItnelr sap she wouJd Dr9a' I"tCOftIid.tr the lift.. -U we Itt UfXba' oI"tr lrc-l anodluiaPllyl_: 1M adds ntdYilJ, -11I1lJ1'1. detee­dft.1ib. rilS _ bdOft..PftS_1Iand10-

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aI fa MFdate 011 Dot~hrtJ, lMt at: onepaiat III tlII abanslial~ dler ..u.IDId ud to dbImI It. 8)' OCt. !. theW· ,...nported tJlaI the~ wen............... rwddIlI 1M 111'11 ttt­11IIt day. 0dc8F ...... r'IICidd IIIr JIft, iasupport Il sc:tIdeM.-, III • pNIJrdeaI: _ tile~ .dan P'ip .........,SO~....... Il MfttbIn: .. ---.i.&. __ tbI t:IIlIaJIIl of DotlJIow ,." ud till ... _ 1ft lIaportaotco tlIt $lIIdIDtL •• _ J.j ., ute.. 'IIIlIrt bas belli4IificaIId tD tbIself~tl all peoples."" 'Il'iUldn.. till lift ill support 01 till studmts'rilht 1D dItInIiDI tbtIr on deItiJI,."

"It hid bec:aDt dMt tbat "" hid DO ebok:e,"Chicqo Slid later.

Ic.-._.~....Pti: ~...... _&._.. 0..,"' ttlC_"tClIfIIUIe '" CIriIC'" eM .... nw~,." ......." " rm.ilMd-.r-"'ai}'8W.lMI* M'rt~.......,.. II .. _ Ie • I'I'fIIIf'Id ud pnICKIId.

_1lIdI .. lk '" ...,... IlouIllrIIa tbI 11M-FfIt" aD till YalIaat dons or 7k~ IW-tj', IlIpplrUft, the .....". tduc:adoa anIIIIIdtulta&jiOIUJ artia"'" UId Cl:ic:ap', bIJtal..... ill ,.." t T piIIl:ed till dClIMI of~aa-pa Wl-a __ ...1Mdia~bd IDed aU die ........011 au. s. Nlra t-a. ..... bad 01 tbI tmn1bad becirDt I!at KIIOadI' INJot wpr. re­~ tNrd oIdlall ausceeJ awoiallld br8In7 10 depcl. lft kaYiJIIIdl btfon tIlIlQI·dnt tUeo'I'Ir, 011 Oct. I, dlt II'" prause..w. 'nil """'1nIDa""'" te mu:pud apud die ..... U1d ..,. ......IUIIt'pur.d _ ~ till SIIIOno' JIIlOoeIId Idts

S. GUu-. ... was • be die otIIer sW of rnsu-wr, 1M DiaWr ,."..tbe ilJ.f.aIed _teiCIahlnI CItlIII:r, f'I'CaUs tbal dilt .cuIIete. tIM ...... UId till dtr eaaac:B had Tet tess dID sis Wer, 1k lHaIr .-. "'taIca .". JIITPrise'" by tbI ....COIItl'Oftr· Perrr was bid: ill till n... tIlisS'J bec:u&se tbI:y .... 10 lime ,*t lit. N_ ol ti.e 110ft fldIr tspIIIIIla lis oppoDUla' ....."... Iuld paid.., auedolllO till CIllI1ecdDII 01 AcciDIdbIC IO.-eta IamI. GIl War, 21) &lid 21,hb Oft wart IIlradr IwtciDa ill the CanMcit 1.1, • "fKDltr JDIII'CI- 1UddeDl, cI&lmed dWUbrary (&lid die UDC sn- .. ud till acqUtdIa of 1klNaM1vtIwa: aplIIllIldtr..' .u.II pani:ItId III GsaDliJl& '" "Ira_ T1le UIlC r..acr isIIIId •D-. hIn, •• "paiatblt". fit" a ..... ~ .... ,..... ID ... till a:tilIC .,CItrUdcj.~ CbicIID CIS : leI'lIJ'" cttr alIIIIdI • pnIIIiit mae rroa .... tileaa..ciIe ID dIe...-=t~GiDa's W«t UId ItI ... IlUI 1D .... nw..... 011 me CIntPt!'Ok r "Iltbe ........... UbnrJdaat..... d"'dIe~__will aniIl Loa. $IoqIJ a _ ud - -aIDI& ... tIilI ,..,.u fJI••ardftd .. D.C.1a ~1lI1, GIIllaa did _ ~KmiL ud till .... board ........ dill ~ ......... at aD·- • IaiPa.SluIIr. o\JtIlIIIIP dliI can-. work:IId&Id 1IJ till IaIttk:IISbnl~ ....... bII saar- tor -atnrr~ rr- 1M..... tbII; 11. qotr:ldr • I. III ~el""".deari)'dbproft..,

• D, "" l1IaIr ,.", radlIr t1Iu III ,..nede I' ',.n. UlIl aItMllP dill........, 1IIfUIr.... on. Afticaa-A-aa lllllralltt Ie ..., m , 1"IflIt.an e+1::J'''_I_dlat...~.... _WI aZCJ" *-tr.flwDfalr......... " .... at UDC. lie _bat.. tIIiI .-lOll ........ IIPt......- iii tab 011~ an....... iDIipind. "'....... ptIIdIE._ Il it.,. .....W I""" '1' "MiDI -n.. at UIlC tUI is WI ...... will • .ud CI&/tJnl bKtpoad fa ,.... • ...,." dol 01 dlI ...II'JIInet aIJ.tbe CDIIeetiol:II.- "tnkr .,. adft ....

tut.n. I dInaP aU ., .tnISteI dtw fall He decriII tbt ..oflk DiaIr hrtJ, wed.. till diJp&raais10tJ it raa.t

TllI7 _l J.cly, \IQI ,.,. It 'M. 1~ 1Ilol "-!'I_.. a prod i*Ia 1.. IMn .. _ ...." ~ IaIW " 1M ...-..-.. ...I_.....caa:.lk ........ _

lMa J-, a.-. II ....". ;p .. - - •..... UIIir iMeMs. ... if r.......-r -.d r _1lodJ's-r. tllan·,.... l1li w... 1Ilol »-iaa .... T1lIl ""*-_IIW wWI ---..I .. ,.... Taa._I k-. alI ca.nJ..-- ad.. ,an. I....... die AIrtcM-~ tall, ItI Wult-.... ,.., dlIl__II~,. It_.NIMie....... .-..... AM lilt c.-c.. lk WI rl-'-ill&.-

.'

, fobCed ... thIa tJlaI tber dId:n't \l6dentudi 1lId cII4lI't wut. AltbGllP tbt7 ..,. ...t WSIo­

tapeS 011 die pia., tbIJ ~AaMd to vw. tMa.QlkIIO......., ... 1IIftr .... dInct aCC111lO

I dill JOIIIII JII"OICMtom. ""011 c.W.., III III eMI smdtBts w...p till CI1IICM&,'" ...,., "'aDd

lUJ didI't dlW: It...JDOd *:L I ClllUklt't IDOM" dlieir -... U .. tWr i_Iuil_, IIlIt--1"II'O..w IftIr tM PvriI """"1 Mdbelli~ tbt pantOIraPh, I:$I1II .. sUD...". IUC:b II 'rift. SOlII' 1ObI..,... ShIroaP'nIl DWIn tooII tbe pnlC8IIlIlI -.itDtI' side."1J-.r" CDlIDIUIiII Mary MeG,.,. ..,.. tJlaIJOII dilbI't haft CD be J.... Hdaa to UDdenI&ndtllat 17UDirIIwr"" is obIceDt.-AJt~~ ONi Edwuds. .ho Ybited n.c. oalr&t1a' 1M ..... &lair .a CMr. fOlllld thai: lID_ at: till _iUIit) bwow .... bis W«t 011bdWf 01 tM IUltIclItIunJ eetlIer. BllIt'fId IUsCllUeapes ill Wah.... 10 speak GJl beca.at "\IJVItr as MiD& attICUd bJ' tilt )loonies, bo'II' farbtIWIcI c:oaJd .. ber Bat III abo SJ'1IipathbadwitIl tIM JUMIalt&. "'who Ihoa!d' han bealbl"Oq!U illco tbI proctSI earUK":

In .lime 1990, rumorsbegan to circulate ofan underground sabotagecampaltpl mou_ by_ lain fac:ultr memtoer.aNI .-owy outsiders_allng In the pow..vacuum left by the ftrIngof the, UDC president.

OII the eslMdC froftt. tbI f<GIS" OIl""-r, ratbIr tbao lit. T1Ile Ya6c:e of ..

wtlD d&iIMd 1D be ddtndill& the~ apiIstoIlsettdcy ..,. Ileatd load &ad deu'. 'nil r.arbDlh fa Cancrea &ad fa 0- IDtdia~ •lM briW&lItJr coIand abAnct Jower/bIGdJI.... iaqes 011 1k DiaIr Am(' ......Ud& 1ft details. If Iapon&lIt .... of die ...,.all worL 10 rimial Its aueodOIl 011 die pilleimqe. Conir- ... &WIlJ of the at or "...ritDca IJNbiWd b1 DoDaId~ or the_UItriC:U FamUr ..sw:iedoll •• be atr...s\'ipeUeI troD thllatp pUatiI:p of Da'rid .oj­IW'OWicz ud f'tIl"IIIUiId tbsI a ..cin ..tsill • lUiIiq JIDt 10 hudredl or tt I .. tI,.... ""A.U.. DIe. .. Tbe tralItdIuI ...dkwarbn ad ctaiaa psWm ... CIliIalroraIIdill UlI ...... of 7k DiaMr ,.", Uw:• dll~IIlII7"""""'u..J'IIUI""'"tIIIJ' WfIId III cnUI par1Mlp'IpIlI,.

BIn. a ill all tM other ft'l:IIlt an/llbaMJ'.... iroaIII Uld IlIllcbM ItaDdardI Itwas pudca&artr iIa8k UW tbI eoaar-'I .............. an c::ridl:I ... 61 pil:t ..W ..a ,.. fJI auc." piIaE ., InInIdlriurIIe. UI aacinIt .,... tl feIuk .....alsoOtriws rn. die drad fIIlItal rePa '1t-.s..... dlr..ciq.lCllfpQnl roms aad OewtHsIIapes: cu be discaIed ill tems of tMiI".aIlet.it. rulMr tIwt tlIetr pbaWc _pin.., ..,.CUI't open. mew-pholitl& tonu be lIDdInI8lIdirl ter.s 01 their mll.lUlarend bu~ 0lic:sC0dtftIanOed at: ha' pnss 0DClf1'ftnCt, • poW tWlo-

ti'ddaut was c:ondueled With fOfte ud .....riry priIaariIr by' bIact _ dlfeDdllll~,.(a i$$IM crucial 1D O.c.', lIOG'fIOdn& residealI&lid bIftlr _dOMd ill the IMdia eD'l"If'III tIL!le DiaWr Pvtr di$plIlIt). ElpedaBr flftdld"'" ItpI. .. DtDlaI (O-Cal1t.) ud .aa.r_(""_IlC._~""""It was dice Iep8bUcu BID Greea (I-N.T.}'"$WIllI btaDd)': -cc.er- ......'t~~of an. ftr pea&liII: D.C.D~ It' I~

10 aa doq1IIlU me"- f. the an 're.~ Pat WUliaas (D-Koat. ud IwM tl diecceaalRet to fWItborir,e the NtA) rtia&Id DIDPavr l'o¥t(, lmprali¥t uhiblUoa hiscorJ,flOliAI .. or ttl h!&h1r respeccable IpOIlIllft,ud addel1. ..It doe$a't make • tinbr's daIu if IIikt it • II roa thiDk it's pomocrapbk. ••. DDCcaaId lilt dldr -r beaer,·buI: thats daeir--. IIlIt ... , •• 1WCIGkiIl't Ilaft tM am­pDCt 1D tdl tbt UIli'taSit7 01 tM IIIl:ricl 01QIlIllllll6a ft'rf .... tD pealiR )'01& bel::alDtJUU'rf IDillI to uIillit. p6ece of art I doa't Db....TIlt Parris aaetl 'meftt ... solidJy~ by''IOk:I \'IIlI: tba!·w RapubIIcUIS c:aIlId 10 daeirron:es for • ttClIrded \"Olt. and Il pUled !Ii.,"-

lett. DlXDft IwI said dwina: the debate: tbal -.lot tI oe.ocnu .ba .w SIiIpport die MEA -IooIdsIC fflt" • war ID aa lor'OMI'.'" T1Us ill fact named Olrt tD be die c.Lwet. bp.. BiD~ (O..!UI.) adaIaed fa• m boatd mnabtt ill Saau Ft that eM ...rflt" the Parris~t was • lhrvWawar. •ddI had bea saud: to 1ft~ DUavr ,.", IDdoWlI lbl drUlllld. sa'l'l the N&A.

Ii UCdI diu .,... .... dla'" UUIlC b qgi&a n.~ w' 'iI DO .., ......... _tleraptdId ~ tDdIa LdIeDI:hal 4& I ' rl duI: ai'....wbeft trW CD ;;wk cbely wItIl lUI

witt and 'rwa- ClIlIIaIlan.-, lbt an fIhIca&or_........Bus. ftc DfaIr ,."" sam e:wuOOltisial,

Imd UIlI '" ,..... ud 'W1fwaz1lSaIikc, ,.... "'Ie - ..........."",-eunI1l1 tk_II: _ ..... 1Oe.-1liAwy. tilt_._It ~ iI...w llue cMriIMll tiltme- dIIl..,....._,.....__ dut Sf tMry

,.. aft ,..•••niI_aaa:t:" tilt IaICb_ nt DUuwr,.", II dut";'Qu;.. Illat......-.0llI tI tilt _ ~...-u" ~~

rlll' _ penau.IIr .. tk facI lUll .. 111 UlIl u.lddkotI !be KculIK:usc I'rDjIcL dill .~ • IliAIric__ ... tIltsw. nInlIIl_ ia=-. ... AJICII

. Nfl jIIIl '"" lined • ., tilt SWL

Viti hiNhich'l, it .. iarciMfr.~ f"M

foolhanlJ co ba" illtnlduad 7k Dtmwr!'rlrl,.or &II thtft&s. iIllO t1M: boIl1D& pat of WalilitltDnpolitics at th&t pankuIar IDOaIellC ill tile dey',hisIOrJ. althoulb DOOM could haft pndkUcI1I:Itt'I'tIItI tIw easaed..~ tM...w.. olelUtdaIlbnJ/,eiIdIt an c:aeer Qat .. ca..iaco ......... all baportaat ... "f'ooUuar·1tJ Of DOC,. saJS 0lic:aI0: ·Irs Uruporwlt todrum.- 0

.. ~'..... ,.. dut .......,.,. ..iIocw.l dlIirs ,.. Idiria. --..-l All~ rr-Clliap_I_ ..............lilt IVlMr ia So-t.r 1110. ia Suu 'tot Lallr. Y_c.an. d""lI: 1 widI",

.,.;ea.. SIll .. ....., " aIalrIlld -*bIrc lemp· ,..

~ '.'I).f. .....,........ " S-..at)1_"OW-. dus AnI. _ ......

. tI nw IN- ,.. ., lin'_-. IOI-U.~1I:t

iIod....i. "... CllUM dI:la ...... _ • "'-'-..~_ _,.,dot .. WI

~"'."""1Iv""''''''....-- ..-.~ ......... o-aw a.-.. .......IICl,~ II dIs ...-.l A ""'"'" ""1Ift .. r..- ..,_ IuD.... ,_ _ .. 1lltto......~'. r. dis UDC ..-i. ""' U __

..-- i ,..".,..".............. _..,... ,_ 'he-W(_ ), .. 11.1 ... _ dli .... IICdad.." .....,..."e..e- ........__ .,""*.._ I ....

-~l lJDC 1iIIllt ill ......tr.I ~_)IlIIIIit ........, II D.C.-iII Ww ..... Ill-* _....l AD !IlaUIb......" .. n- all ill IiIaJs....... Pa.. J... S. I.L aM pb.- JiIct.~ .. cal XIIlliI ... 1tW:1ftick .

I

~)bduis _ ...... ..,. --.. dIM lIM1aidIIId.-..lIdlI sift ...__ .--.. • .,dlI .. s

- .... 'Ie--.. Dt,..... 1adr:II"""II.""",,,,,,"-'- CIIllIecIIIl. ... dlI ...,. ............ n..Dfan"""""""'" ....... 1Iadr: uti _ I i.II st!UllI:lllI._ILl ........... U...

• USft ....l1. 'ri., CbIW~LniI~_ q hew ..

.-... CIIIIiINd ~ ......

.r--. IiIIiI: II ....II..,... IaiItWtIW wtdI .-.sa 8ana. 3larcllMI.It. • ..,.".. Tf-. Jatyll.laIi.. ......".". 1W.. J.,. It~16.. s-.-tIM dim., Ipns _ It- Ilvnf it.ltudu 1111 .,.~ ., PlilIIIe '·1tD ..._ Sctu.MIiI knIes: 'li'lt1lD .. _ MII': lIiUIM ItlUillS r. -.t. As • .....,-« e-rM ..,. _ I'I"'IftI • tlut cky Ina-...,.I., ra, /Jh..,,.,,, ... .-rwI\III a.. r. .Itnd I...

I .. ... I~ --. ,.....,.~.~ .. "'" 14 !wli.Ietee -=...... tIIal fllalbiWlllt __ iD~ ...

"'-r."-"'--«"".~IO~ fill Su 'rudIco»-.,~ Alt'."'-' ....~ " 7k"'-1ItrlJ. aM -a ~ III dlt............,.~·httIJ·-~ __~ .... ..,....-. _"'1"m-,..,... 's"* ............. ,......__aIIOo1a11ed .. TTF ..__ t·· '.tt-It W..,. I'nIcIItI.. J.". .. I'" lbGb 1MMIld""'""'" ltIt far:l ...........,Wldll t II "-N ....rI7 ...... ,... ~ ~•......... a,., Ulft_ ..._ " dlI 1ImtcrI.we. I • MIt_.....II. ........,. ,.a1bilIc tk --*J r.........IIWIId Ult wt ..n.~ .... ptWIHId IlidI taalI... till roc "-N aM ' 1 • ' ........ _: dut-.:tuiucL ..... ,.. dis .....!Dr ,..,...,.... wiG Dr x..n IMI.:: IluTW: )IIfdo

I.'e T1uII .....~_.lIla fI J-............ MIl Qlaes 1iIe~...... _ ~-...ra

.......... 1 .,.-....................,..A Dt...,.rRn r.....s a. __ • nw ...".1WfJ-a~ ...-...,. _HilW .. 8ft

\1 i .t. t1 ... ".,.,. '" C'.IIlIr- ,..~•• IaA __I' _ ._ Dt~ _

' _~iI_$llft ...................- -.....-e-

,."............ ( GMa.JlI1l11l).U. hrrIs ... IliI tN ........ 1&~,.5.~ Carr............. liIIfdllllLS "-'-'" " ~ ,.", , , Wi wbdlia dlI~ 8ft-'_ willlialr _ ....., •

~.Dt~.....". .. It_......,~ •• .......,. '1: _. SIt .. dlt....,m:-d .......rr-~Ai_...a-, ud 1l$Iers'"m;IIliII ....• t!lI Dl.-fanJ__'1) " ...

Zi-.iL rr- die 51...... I snlaa·

186

In the '- of thl.••••"" __ art-worldsupport _ ...v.. m..........The ,.-at mov nt I.dm..- .nd no long..quick to mo_. Others_to.void ......._-.01'_with MEA funcllnll debet...

.........~ ••. '1' .... aU_CUIfIL!i. T'IIe1-.1 'nkiIuL ....MIl;'..d1t_*wckNad!4: s-. M-*bI'.-'d .... ti_ff'" U1duIII r. bIadl ,.....S."" r n-.,., So 1_ WIuIiu 3Ia1ar'"..,.. aaiII .;u 1M ....._S..IIIlI ~tIuIc ...lbc_.ll'IIMla _I , • Dfan ltf._ c.,....~ ........)tart n-,.. raild.::to ...,. )kG,.,.. W...,.. fWt, (kL J.. 1.1.:lQ. "'- IIlcerOrw wtca Grtt: Edwardt. '*-"1IMI.SI. ,... '-"iIw will s.. GaIiua."*-r ltILA!dlalI$Il ..... ,.... - ........ oW, .._ ..__ ..,.~". 10..."..,

~"'..-..nkJ""""'."'" .....CIIHnOIa. ..... a tIuIf -W _ III OWid '" ...,. UlIl~ IIldc.~ Dt_I'vrJ.1= IatI Jaly It _ ....,.wd u.u lUdl CIIIIKdaIl

til ........r- n. Dt6taJIr ltIt -.b ................~ ......................................... -ilal.ca.. .......-._..c:u- _-.u. n.~ '-nI fII CNRIe c.IlIuId II IwlliIt-.S WICk _ (_ ..-.~ .... IIaII ..~ 1'wnIaa Gall), •LIdIa_J 1III'Wad; ... tIn- _.-...a rr- c:iori ,... ___

..... 1IIirP*S&-.111( '0'·',.... ....'oJ-. III AIIiIN'w 1 _ III Air~1Wr('=1F _ Ai:iIa-..) ......... O' _ck.,. ..... iii ck ...-:: _Iaan III Uac:MIa IIate:t(1IilI_ II dlt......, ....."._. 1M...... dIiI,....)

s.aaiaIJ(... ,...._...c__:wta dW__""""'1IwT) eo· ,~\.--~ _ " d.. II ftf D*atr""__ t_ .... .......,_._ ,...,.D.&.,.~..... -........_ '.*...,),~a-

(._._

3 1 s .,-...........) ( .,.....,... ....,. l1li _

8Iwy QIIoIII'J -')""-~ •.,-~ ..,...... ....,.. _ a-.II.. .a., ..,. I."$l _ = h+ ...,.~ J.., III"

......., LwJ u",.,.,r~ .. "'"'" ...... )IbN~ s... .\It ill • )llIIblii'wawai .'-rica,r..-.-

_.

'"'.268 Donald lCiJ1pft

:U. Quottd.,.. Ibkt., p. 71.

n. Quoted In Ibid.. p. n.llppard, In "O.d.1n Itrlln: Unfortvn'lely Stili Timely," (Oft

1M M..-.1 pp. 67-n, dclett~thl, crhkal rKognItlon. Sht notes Ih.t 'M G1f.mWi eft of the- tirM can btldkt~ 'rom OIM!' (urop..n Irt "by 1M"'"of h, tNttltfMfl." tMn goes on to add tMt. IrOftk.Ity. "'trlm Dad••rt. tOt.1tIdisor'-nt.tlon,~unmort hope""' .... podttve" (p. 72). 'ThIn lIpPlld lI\'Okkcon­ddtflng how IM ....aryInf degrut of frustr.tlon thlt un.,l-r 1M art of Ihi tIrnIm.., MYtfthtlm; hwt Imphd In uncon~__,,,,n of thl Imponlbillty of fOCWrevolution In the c;.,mMIY of the day, IS well" In unconKlous recognition of thenKeI1lty of profound pet"MW'iat ,.....,Ion "•pi'KondIllon tot 10(1.1 revotutlon. .:'

2.. Quotld In 1bkI.

25. B"na,d S. ~. J1N c;.,motn EItpnJJlonitIJ: A G~,.t/otlln 1I~1t (Ntw Yon: :j

fr.d"klt A. f""9fl. 196Cl. p. 227. . !26. Mn Sdw,*' In hh ~ftSMrllMt'lftN_ YOI'll.: 1M FfH "ft' of Gllncoe, Itl1). . ~

pp••5-«. dna.... iHMiiflllwnt as ". Wf~1ngof the mll"ld ...• laItInt jmental .ttlt~. clUMCl by ,he "",-.tk rtpr"don of eft'l.", tmodOM Md If· .4:'.ct, whkh, .. tud'I••• I10fYMI con'4'OMnts of hurun nall.lf'. The" Il'pfl,,6on Ie•.,1to the cCHlltant tendency to 1nduf9t' In c.rt,ln Itinch of ",Iue d,lUllonl tnd COfft- t.~ ",Iue judgnwn«. The .motions and ,UKIi prlmllily conc-.Md ... fr.-..nvt, h'lm, fMtIc:.., erwy, the tmpuIH to detract, tnd spit•." NoM of ,heM 'A'MIn9I, wrtt" Sdwter, '*"...ntr' Ie'" to rrllMtil'Mnt. tt drlelopl "onfy" tMn ;iOUUfI Mfthef, mor,hetf-conqun1 ... nonn act or lOfMother tdequ.t ~

...... lion of .motion .. , lind If thk .-.nrllnt II (auI.d by. prCHIounctd _ -a of '1CJ:) impot.nc•.. , , Through Its "!'Yorioln, nJJl'nffm.nl II thH.for. (hlef1yconftMd ~,-..:I to lhoM who..rw and are domln,'t'd II the mom.nt, who ffuitlnlly ,nent 1M ~

Itlng of 1IU1tIority ••• the spWft,* venom 01 'tI~flrMrJf II pfr_1y coni...... ~1

~~. I11. Ttlll II the till .... of 5heIIlry'IA o.fMc. of PoetlY, 1111. For an I«ount of SheIey'J 1,

r'lfOlutlon.ry Int.rntl '" teenneth N"n (flm,ron, 11w Young SIMI/I"(: ~""" 01 ~I "ubI (New York: Ct_n·(oIlle" (olll,r loob, 1962). 'J

21. Abrlhlfn H. MIsIow, ''NIuroIlIa, F..... 01 PerIonfIl Growtfi.:' J1w,~IIHdwt:~0' HurMn N.urt (NM York: r.nouln loob. 1976), p. )9. ~

29. TModor Adorno. Atltfletlc ThI'oIy(l.ondon: I'outlt6g.I lCtgWl "UI. 19141, p. J21},,;.,).'

15

Tilted Arc: Enemy of the People7

Robert Storr

TItted Arc, a monumental sculpture byRichardSerra, was comml$JlonedIn 1979 by the General Services Administration at S175,ooo for NewYork's Federal Plaza. '[he Kulpture's placement led to Immediate hostili­ty by those who had to experience It and to a public dlKoune that II·Iumlnated the gulfs among artists, govemmMt patrons and the popularaudience. The situation, which Robert Storr presents from beginningto end at his writing In 1985, also testlfl.s that the convo/ut.d proceuofchallenging a commlulon Is as difficult as commissioning and Instal­IIng,a public sculpture. The controveny underlined, as twit, that site­sp«lfIc Kulpture ;s by nature ne'W!r purely aesthetic but also alwayspolitical,

Serra's relationship to physical spiKe and the audience Is antitMrlcalto that of many of th. artists in this book, His work, often public, stillstands .part from th. social world. Serra bel1eves, In flld, that "After

I the piece Is created, the splICe will be und.ntood primarily .s a func­~ tlon of the sculpture.". Storr writ.s: "In May of 7985 Dwight Ink, the chief administrator~ of the General Ser....ices Administration In Washington, handed down~. a decision recommending the r.location of Richard Serra's sculpture'( Tilted Arc, which now stands In front of the FHI.r.1 Comple. In~ downtown Manhattan, This decision follotwd a four-year debate over~ th. 'appropriateness' of Serra's piece, ...nd the Importance its reten·g- tlon or remo.....' would ha....e forth. future'hoth of the GSA's Art In Ar­f.chltecture program .nd ofpublic art In" this countl)' In g.ner.I. What

I.. -';:;;~;;;;;;;-;;;;;;;;;j;;;;;;;;:;;;;;;;;;o.;;;;;;;;;;;-;;rn __...t: ~II .rtlclt origln.lI\, .ppnrtd In Art In Amtriu IStpltmbtf "aSJ I,.,

4

•,,

­,

170 Robert Storr

foflows is'a description of the circumstances leading up to that Judg·ment and some thoughts on the relarion of the Serra controveny tocurrent discussions of the politics of art in the '980s."

Tilted Arc was removed from Federal Plaza in March of '989,

In 1979, In accordance with the established procedures of the GeneralServices Administration's Art In ArchltectOre program, Richard Serra waschosen by an Independent panel of art professionals consisting ofSuzanne Delahanty, Robert PincUS-Witten, and Ira LIcht to offer a pro­posal for a sculpture to be placed In the plaza In front of the JacobK. Javits Building on Foley Square.' Following extensive engineeringstudies and prolonged negotiations with the GSA's own design reviewpanel. Serra's planned work, Tilted Arc, was finally approved by thethen head of the GSA, Roland G, Freeman, Given the relative bland­ness of much public sculpture and the Intransigent If not confront...tional nature of Serra's art, It was a remarkable, Indeed risky under· ~i.

taking for both the artist and his government patrons. "I'For Serra's part, It would appear that the prime attraction of this :

commission was the very difficulty of the site offered him, Spuklna .to Douglas Crimp In 1980, 'Serra recalled:

Tht f.r81 lufIdfnt shit dkfn't intltfltt:I me II ""I. rt', ...~dltt:tll ~t." in frontof. public bulWlftg.~', I lount"" on Ihit plul, normlny you woutd·.1IpItCt ';• Ku!ptur. nut to thlt founl"" so Ihit .n,.mblit would IImHnhh lhe buIcInt. .I'\/'t found. Wrt 10 dl~oClt. Of" lIt.r the M<or.tlY't IurKlloo 01 the puu IIld 1(•. ~

tlvely bring plOP" Inio tM KUlpt~'1 tonll.'. I plln 10 build I plitu thlt" 120 .,'I"t long In I Ilml·drcullr pliU. It wfll (rou I,", .nll,. 19k., blocld"9 the .. ;,;'f,om Ihl m.11 to the courthou'l. Ind vke yltn•. It win b~. t_!VI I••t hlth Iftd ~:

will tUt one '001 towlfd thlt ft~rll bulldlng Ind Itl. Counhoult. It wilt b•• WfY ~

,low .n: th.t w1lleflComplll thl mopll who wllk on th. pllum II' yolume. , • , •Ah.r the pk<e h (rllt.d, the '9k. will b. und.ntood prlmlrlly If • fun«1on 01 :.Ihi tculplUfI.f •

Though Serra had n....er before contended with a "pedestal" sft4of this kind, he had of course already made se...eral major plecft fot·,urban plnat. In 1977 he created Serlin Siock for Charlie Chaplin In,Berlin and Termlna' In Bochum; the latter triggered a controversy thlt~

spilled over Into the regional electlont. More recently Serra bullt.Tw,In,a wailed enclosurt fO( St. loult that took eight years of negotiations:'La Palmera, a concrete arc for • worklng-cl.u nelghborhobd In ..,Barcelon.: Cla,,·Clara, a site-specific sculpture for Paris that was suc- '.;cenfully moved from Its pl.nned location near the Beaubourg to I dlf-l.ferent site In the Tull,rles; and the privately funded Rot.ry Arc, whkH!.

•

Tilted Arc: Enemy of the People? 171

stands In the traffic elrcle near the exit from New York's Holland Tun­r nel, ab~ut a m!le from Tilted Arc, Its federalty subsidized coudn.I But If Serra s sculptures are In Increasing proportion now designed· for public spaces, the precarious antlmonumentality of his basic" aesthetic continues to be Informed by the marginality and Imper­~' manence of the Industrial no·man's·lands and vacant lots In whl h h:... executed much of his early work. Even Rotary Arc stands apart ~ro~

the social world. Occupying a site seen but rarely entered or traversedby pedestrians, It slices across the axis wtthln which It Is located, render­Ing the surrounding whorl of buildIngs, driveways, crosswalks andgrassy lozenge.s tangential to its spare sculptural sweep, while itself In­sfstlng upon Its distance from and tangency to these given forms. Butwhll~ Ro.tary Arc articulates a man-made but essentialty uninhabitedspace, r,'ted Arc stands at the hurt of a heavily trafficked workingenvironment dominated by an overbearing architectural monolithPlaced directly In the path of people largely Ignorant of and for th~most part alienated by modern art, TIlted Arc demands attention Inslstlng that Its presence Is not an adjunct or adornment of the spac;It occupies but the subject of that space, If David Smith's sculpture wasconceived In resistance to the tyranny of architects and the bland con­ventIons of most of public art, THtNAl'('was meant to actlvety subvertthem. It Is that physical polemk, aside from the arguable beauty ofthe p,lec, Itself, which Is the work's principal virtue.

tt therefore came as no surprise that when finally Installed In 1981 TiltedArc was greeted with marked hoUlllty, prompting lellers to thenewspapers and. petition, signed by sorue-1,300 employees of theFederal Complex, demanding the sculpture's removal from the site ItSO categorically refused to "grace." Tilted Arc also garnered a mixed

, t~spons~ from the art world.) Coming at a time when the dominant, tlste was shifting toward new forms of figurative painting and

sculpture, It seemed to some to signal the final assimilation If not coo •titian of the Minimal aesthetk by Institutional culture But govemme~t.ndor~ement of Serra's work has not lessened its' confrontational

·~er, Ind contrary to expectation the furor generated by It has not· e down. Rather, federal sponsorship ~C?mpounded the "offens "'~d Tilted Arc became an anomalous ';dffitlal" provocation dlvldr~g

-t et rt community from the public at lii"ge and the art community:,ga nst Itself as has no other work of recent memory.I k' C~early Intended to break this stalemate, GSA administrator Dwightn s eelslon to move Tilted Arc nonetheless Involves conditions that

· give his judgment a distinctly Solomonic cast. The process established

Tilted Arc: Enemy of the People? 273

spokesmen for both sides extra time to complete their statements. Butthese parliamentary niceties were only camouflage for a fixed agenda.

Though claiming to have no personal grief against Serra and noIntention of passing aesthetic Judgment on the work itself, Diamondlistened to the arguments of Serra's partisans wtth the ostentatlOU1lack'

. of enthusiasm of a bored schoolboy In French class, Then at the end~ .of the first day, In an interview with Cable Network News, he openly

declared .his determination to have the sculpture removed, A profes­sional politician using his oHlce to speak out for the "little man" againstthe abuses of the 91g Government of which he Is In fact Integrally a~~rt, D'amon~ followed the by-now-famlliar strategy of Spiro Agnew(democratic voice for the "silent maJority"), and of boardroom"populist" H. Ross Perot. It was PerQt who exploited the anguish ofveterans tp Impose his own "patriotic" taste on the Vietnam WarMemorlal-a work which, notlneldentally, owes Its sculptural syntaxto Serra and, like Tilted Arc, was thought obJectionable preciselybecause It was open to a variety of readings,

Taking theIr cue from Olam'ond, the "little men"_and women-saidmuch that was predictably negative and narrow. Throughout the threedays of the hearings, office workers and overseers took time out fromtheir duties and trooped In to denounce the Kulpture as nihilistic andI rusted piece of Junk.· Coming to Serra's defense was a virtual rollcall of art-world penonalltles, an unexpected alliance which IncludedOctober critics and their erstwhile nemesis, William Rubin of theMUleum of Modern Art; Serra's peers of the 1960s such as Donald Judd

, and Frank Stella; and more recent "luminaries" such ~s Keith Haringand Tony Shafrad, respectively the leading artist and leading dealer

: of the graffiti art whose authentic vernacular expression covered Tilted, Arc Itself and was cause for many of the complaints of those opposed.' to the Serra Walk. In all, t'-'is coalition of Interests gave Tifted Arc a

curiously Hans Haacke-like "proyenance," which, like those Haacke, has traced for Impressionist works by Seurat and Manet. encompassesthe full range of the art world's social and Ideological extremes.

Testimony In Serra's favor reflected a correspondingly diverse, not: to say contradictory, series of perct:;ptlons and moUves, and some of; that testimony made for very enjoyable th!llter. Eliciting embarrassed,'aughter from Diamond and his assOciates; tebn Golub slyly suggestedthat they consider the apparently headless and decidedly bellicose

__ bronze eagle which hung over the courtroom before any attempt was; made to remove Serra's supposedly mindless and aggressive sculpture.

Robert Storr

by Ink for the relocation requires that local GSA officers find a suitablealternative site subject to the approval of an NEA-appointed panelworking In consultation with the artist. It Is ciear from Serra's ownstatements, however, that he will not cooperate In what he considersnot the mere relocation of a slte·specific work but Its actual destruc­tion. it Is probable, and certainly to be hoped, that without his par­ticipation no museum or other reputabl.e instltuUon will be enlistedin this scheme. Thus It appears that while Ink has made a gesture ofconcession to those opposed to Tlfted Are, he has In fact specified termtfor the resolution of the problem which dictate that the work Itselfwill remain In place Indefinitely,

The real climax of the Tilted Arc controversy, however, came In ~

March 119851 In three days of hearings called by William Diamond, the 't

New York admInistrator of the GSA. And If Ink's decision belongs to ~

the history of bureaucratic diplomacy, Diamond's hearings belong to "the history of the piece Itself. ..

These hearings were not the first Instance of local opposition to .a GSA-commissioned work being channeled through-even Instigatedby-the regional hlerarthy of the Federal government. In the mld·1970s .~:a prolonged but ultlmatety unsuccesdul campaign was waged Igalnst :George Sugarm.n's sculpture Sa/tlmore Feder./by a U.S. district court :Judge, .nd In m.ny Wlys the Tllt~dArc controversy Is a replay of that _affair. In New York It was Judge Edward D. Re, Chief Justice of the 'United States Court of lnternatlon.1 Trade, who lobbied to reopen the.;Senalssue after three years of relative quiet, and It Is obvious that Ol"~mond's hearlngt were designed to orchestrate Ind amplify the angel"that Rt', eHorts ~.d brought back to the surface. Arrogating to hlmHffthe prerogative of appointing Its members, Diamond created a panel'consisting of three senior officers of the regional GSA" administration.and two outside members, Michael Findlay, vlce·presldent of Chrlstle't, .and Thomas levin, a lawyer and art collector. "

Significantly, Diamond appointed from the art community no onf.whose specific concern was with public sculpture, and however slncert.the partlelp~tlonof the last two members, It Is clear that he had taken ­pains to assure himself a voting maJority. Meanwhile, no leg.1 basft',existed for such an ell post facto move to pressure for the abrogationof a contract signed and exe<:uted between a citizen and the govtrnl.ment. Granted, Diamond presided over the ad hoc proceedings 'Nitif'exemplary "fairness," extending the hearings to three days so th.t.nwho had signed up could be heard, allocating the same three minuteSto each speaker, and bending the rules evenhandedly to allow k'

'i}_,.'..>

111

Tilted Arc: Enemy of the People? 275

1:'/ ~ut however' clear Serra's strict phenomenological e)(plicatlon 0;, te Arc, the fact of the matter Is that It has long since ceased to be~nd ";,a~never again be the purely abstract sculptural ellperience Serranten e , For both Its opponents and Its supporters Tifted Arc hasb~come a social symbol and the rhetoric which now attaches Itself tot e work has a telling, sometimes grimly comic symmetry

If to many opposed to It Tilted Arc represented an "iro~ curtain"or Berlin Wall" for Serra advocate Douglas Crimp It was no less anemblem of Incipient totalitarianism'. .

: ~rl~p's fantasy of Big Brotherdom Is not a purely literary conceit Asar etched as It may at first seem, the siege mentalJty Crimp fo~nd

, manifested In Judge Re's remarks Is all too real. The surreal charge that:' modern sculpture was a potential tool of terrorists had previously been,mad~ against Sugarman's Bait/more Federal and was reiterated In this~as~ y the Federal Comple)('s GSA security specialist who testified thatar rom serving as the Ideal acoustic baffle for concerts as was latertemo~~trat~t by composer Alvl(llucler, Tifted Arc provided a screen

: or un ent ed miscreants and drug pushers and might someda be;USed as a blast wall for bombers lurking on Foley Square y ,, The crUll of the Issue hi' .·than th I " owever, was ess thiS reciprocal paranoia, e way n which Ttlted Arc ,had been used to exacerbate the·~I~eady acute tensions between the publk and the art community Here~ r mp was not only essentially right but eloquent, .

Meanwhile, Holly Solomon, arriving In a voluminous white fur coat,lectured the panelists on economics. "I try very hard to teach peopl.about contemporary art," she eltplalned, "but the bottom line Is thkhas financial value and you really have to understand that you haveresponsibility to the financial community. You cannot destroy proper·ty." This spirited but "businesslike" Intervention seemed an odd com­plement to the Marxism of other Serra supporters, but It did not ap­pear to assuage the anger of those who saw Tlfted Arc as nothingm~ :"than a $17S,OOO boondoggle. ,~.

More to the point on this score was the testimony of Serra and other :GSA-commissioned artists who said that they had not only not mademoney on their work but had In some cases lost it-a fact confirmedby Donald Thalacker, Art In Architecture's director, In his 19BO book '1:surveying the project's accomplishments,' For Serra as for Nancy Holt .and others, the attraction of the program was not financial, but rather :.the opportunity to undertake a major work whose permanence would :;be guaranteed by Its patrons. For these artists as well as for many of· .the Institutional representatives who made statements on Serra'sbehalf-Kitty Carlisle Hart, Bess Myerson and Senator Javfts among -"them-the Issue was the trust that must be preserved between artists ;,and the government If such programs are to succeed, and the chilling ;'..effect that censorship would have upon creative freedom In the coun·' 'try generally, As was several times pointed out, the "public" for the ~work created under Art In Architecture's aegis was n.tlon.I, not merely ::.local, .nd the repercussion of any move to back away from GSA's co",",\ "mltmant to the artists Involved could be ellpected to be similarly wide·:',reaching. This Is not an Idle fear. Though George Sugarman was SUC~"··4

cessfulln defending his Baltimore work, Robert Murny. another Serra.;supporter, recently lost his fight to preserve his NEA-commlssloned work:·In Alaska. . '.J. ..,.Meanwhile the aesthetic case for Tilted Arc was made by numerous;!curators and crltla, but most persuasively by Serra himself: tf.,

:riTiIt.d,lt" WII conllruct.d 10 .nglg. Ihf public In dillogo. thlt loIrfOuld .nhlnc., :,both p~r(,pto.11yand COrKtptullly, lu rflltlon to the ~ntlrt pllu, Th. KUlptlolri~~

Involwd th. vI~r ratlon'lIy and .motlO"'llly, A multitude 01 rudlnol k pOl:iIlbl., . , , Th. wOfk through Its loc.tlon. h.lght, Ifngth. horizont.llty'Met luri:\groundl on. 1"10 th. ph)'!l"l condltlon of Ih. pIK'. Thf vI.w.r bt<ornfl ",.,1.of hlml'lf Ind of hk mowm.nt through th, plili. AI h. movtl. the Uulptlolrtl,;(hlng", ContrlCt\cln JNt IllpIMlon of thl Kulptur. r"u1tl from tN vllwtr'l rnowtI(m.nt, Stllp by 1IIIp, ~r(.pUon of nOI only Ih. Kulptur. but thf ,nllT••nvlron-/m.nt et.Iln9",

274 Robert Storr

~"--------------~

UITilted Arc: Enemy or the Peop,e7

the transformatlorl'of such private "preJudice Into public Judgment orpolitical action" was Inherently reactionary. But while It Is clear thatsuch grievances or misunderstandings can be and In this case werecoopted by reactionary forces, Buchloh's line of argument begs thequestion of what If any are the appropriate forms such collectivedissatisfaction ihould take. Are there no terms. other than outright cen·sorshlp or private sufferance In which they can be expressed and;ejolned?

More troubling stili, Buchloh predicated hIs defense of Serra ont a challenge to the competence of Diamond and his copanellsts, who',. presumed to decide on a matter apparently beyond their ken. For

Buchloh, this presumption placed them In "contempt" of accreditedopinion in the same sense that citizens seeking to overturn the verdictof dUly appointed legal ellpetts could be found In "contempt of court,"However clever as a polemical device, this analogy Is double-edged,

(' for In describing art professionals as the physicians and' lawyers ofaesthetics, Buchloh iet up an unequal contest of clout, In effect nar-

. rowing the Issue to a choice between the wisdom of the apparatchiki.. and that of the doctoratchlkl, and in so doing seeming to confirm theL Impression that Serra's work represented nothing more than the taste

of an artistic oligarchy, Moreover, by asserting his own authority andthat of unnamed ellperts to declare Serra the most Important sculptor

! of the postwar era, superior even to David Smith, Buchloh made claimsfor himself and Serra that In the contellt of the current critique of

t. "mastery" are hard to Ignore.• Further, Buchloh and others denounced Diamond's hearing by.I drawing historical parallels between it and the culture·bashlng tribunals, of Nazi Germany. To be sure, the Bltburg Incident and Patrick

Buchanan's ascendancy In the Reagan administratIon make suchparallels seem less and less remote; certainly also, any official attackon art Is cause for alarm, and In a worst-case scenario may be seen asa harbinger of fascism, But Bu,hloh's broad analogies seemed not so

;. much a cautionary tale as the product of Intellectual refle)(, However1 odious Diamond's ellploltation of popular discontent, his actions were., not those of a budding commandant but'of an ambitious Babbitt and

e)(perlenced bureaucratic infighter, Nor were the angry but often self-,; effacing civil servants and aged VFW spok~$"len who testified poten­

I tial stormtroopers, Indeed, a few of those Wi:lb e)(pressed their discom·; fort with Tilted Arc and the process by which it had been chosen· nonetheless stopped short of demanding Its removal, aiking instead.to be given time and help to understand It.'

Meanwhile. if more mundane politics are to be taken into

Robert Storr

,idf of KulplUf. agalmt tnos. who.,. on thf Ildf 01 CCIflCfrU ()l" maybf picnic tabltl.Sut 01 (()II'" ,II th". thlngl h.... 'oel,llundloni. , . , 111'1 m,IIUr. ollht mtlgfl" .n,turf of our poblk ,ocl.l Hf. th.t th. public II I,ked to flghl out. tnverty of. ':Ihf dfmocrltlc proc.duft owr the crumbl of IOCIII f_pfrlfn<t. " :

176

Though Crimp's conclusions are accurate, his assertion that Serra's'patrons were "utterly uninterested In building public understanding,of the art It commissioned" Is simplistic and wrong, Nor was Serra cor~ .rect when he complained to People magazine, "I have the weight of .,government-not only their deception but their heel-on my head...• .'The "government" which was responsible for Serra's commission In the ,.first place did not abandon him, though It might at some points hava :,wanted to. Indeed, Art In Architecture's director Thalacker adroitlyargued for him, as did a host of other elected and appointed officials I

committed to the support of public art, ~There was In fact nothing monolithic about the political forces at:

work, Commissioned by federal officials In Washington but seemingly ,without defenders among local GSA officials, Tilted Arc edsted In I .

bureaucratic power vacuum, which Diamond and his cohorts did not:jooooIo fail to notice. In capitalizing on Its vulnerability, they were simply..;CO followln~ the axiom of Tammany Hall boss George Washlngtort~ Plunkett who said slmplv enough, "I seen my opportunities and Itool!:;

'em."If there Is blame to be laid at the door of Serra's patrons. It rtwltsfrom their havIng created Diamond's opportunity by allowing resentl

ment of the work to build up unanswered, and from the fact that when·they finally did (ome to Serra's defense they permitted their opponentsto dictate the terms and the circumstances In which TIlted Arc was tdbe discussed, .•. JThe fault Is not theirs alone, however. It seems to have occurre~ tofelNof Serra's most ardent allies that by falling even to speak to, much leS;tlisten to, the public that felt itself so at odds with rilted Are, they f.lleautterly to grasp the political reality of the situation, and so played dlrect-:IV Into Diamond's hands, For If Crimp and Serra's attorney. Gusta"'.Harrow, couched their remarks In terms both serious and conciliatory,much of what was said by Serra's partisans was obscure and hyperbolk.,serving only to confirm the worst suspicions of those on the other sldel

The testimony of Benjamin Buchloh. a scholarly and usually Jlcut.,analyst. of art's social subtellts, was particularly problematic In ,thkregard. Skirting the Issue of the reasons for the alienation felt by Tllftd..

-. \ Arc's adversaries while allowing that "everybody should have the right~ to detest contemporary art, especially art like that of Richard Serra that

addresses the condition of alienation," Buchloh seemed to suggest that

278 Robert Storr

account-and to the degree that they reveal the fissures in the "govern­ment" Serra considered to be unified against him, they do matter­one speaker prefaced his complalnh about nlted Arc by pointing outthat as far as he was concerned Diamond and his GSA peers were"management'; h. then explained to the members of the gallery, manyof whom, on Serra's side, had left the room upon his arrival at thelectern, that far from being a blind supporter of conservathm the unionhe represented wItS currently under Indictment by the Republican .cJ.ministration for having "Illegally" organized against Reagan duringthe recent presidential elfctlons.'

As the hearings progressed, It would seem that what rankled thenaysayers was not so much the piece Itself as the implication that thostmystified by an Intentionally disruptive presence In their midst we~eto blame for not embracing It, and the suggestion that as a resutt theywere culpable for Ideological crimes they had yet to commit, Con­fronted by a real political Other, some of Serra's supporters could notrecognize it for what It WIS. Granted, a three-minute presentation doesnot permit a complex answer, but, given that limitation, It Is crucialto speak In ways that do not allow for misundentanding. In such a CDO-­

text It becomes .11 the more Important not to forget that "Ideology"15 expressed not only In the sum of one's positions but In the tone ofvoice and the cultural referents one chooses to describe the world. ttIs time perhaps that those who have learned their politics from Ben­jamin, lacan and Foucault read Saul Alinsky and other basic texts onpolitical organization.

But If the myopia and alarmism of some of Serra's partlsa.ns were.lesser Irritants, the Inherent contradictions In the statements of others, .and the palpable contempt they expressed for the opposition wer- .;pointlessly antagonistic and self-Indulgent. Indeed, the speech by thecritic Clara Weyergraf, who Is Serra's wife and collaborator, was, fOf ,all its ringing righteousness, stunningly wrongheaded, It was she who "first announced that If nlted Arc was removed she and her husbandwould leave the country, though this "threat" was subnquently ;repeated by Serra himself In numerous Interviews. Given his Impending "retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art and his continuing ties to ;~'

major New York VIllerles, this seemed a particularly petulant and 1m...plausible ultimatum. In the country that Invented the "love It 9r leave ,It" bumper sticker, a "love Me or l'Uleave Vou" response 15 a Just'Invitation to be told to "Get lost." \ .

Stili hlrder to swallow was the contempt in which Weyergr.f;evidently held not only her adversaries but her allies. "I was alwIYS':,against artists' accepting government commlnlom," she explained, '" ,always thought that Irt was being used as a sign to advertise liberalism,"f

A sign which ~ould be ripped down when liberalism went out ofpolitical flshlon, This sign Is being torn Into pieces right now," Never­theless, Weyergraf actively participated In marshaling the liberal If notapolitical forces which defended Tilted Arc, welcoming Its defendersto the podium just as Serra pumped the hind of each as they left.'Furthermore, It Is unclear how the patronage of European governmentsor dealers to whom she and Serra would turn If rebuffed by the GSAk essentially different or any less precarious than that of the Americanart establishment. '

It Is perhaps unfair to tax Serra himself for the inconsistency ofWeyergraf's statements or of those made by his other partlslns.ln fact,Weyergraf testified, "I had reservations about the Federal Plaza. NotRichard. Richard felt honored when the GSA approached him and of­fered him a site In New York." Moreover, It was his decision to acceptthe gamble of fighting for his work In the open but rigged forumcreated by his adversaries. Nevertheless, given his declared Intent to"dislocate or alter the decorative function of the plaza," It Is hard toaccept his later claim that he "didn't understand what all the commo­tion was about," and even harder to reconcile hk desire In Tilted Arcto "actively bring people Into the sculpture's context" or his accep­tlnce of such a commfsslon with his statement thlt "trying to attracta bigger audience has nothing to do with the mlklng of art:'M At theroqt of these Inconsistencies lies the fundamental paradox of Serra'sthlnklng-a paradigm of the contradictions which continue to plaguethe critical debate over the relation between politics and art, theresldull "radicalism" of Minimalist and anti-form art, and tM supposed"cooservatbm" of more recent painting and Kulpture. Here It Isworth quoting Serra at length from a 1916lnterv4ew with L1za Bear.

I'm not conctnad with quott hum.nhtk ....IUtl on th.t IIrYtI. If you'rt going togtt Involved, your tntrglft 'ft btllltrved tnttrlng Iht poJltk" ,rtnl Ind doingIt In th,t tr,n,llory minner, Tht Inttrt~tlng thing ,bout ,bnrlet'lt II th" glvtntht b"k pOlitlon ont ,,,urn,, Ind the kind of uptrl,TIC. One nttds to hlVt, Ihtwork ftmllnl frte,ln th.t II dOfln't ItfVt ,ny ld4iologkll pr.mht, Whtn wa.k tnd,up In mU1tUmi or lI'tltd", It un't t\up. 'rom tht motility Implklt In ,hOlt In.,tltullonl...• 11', not Ifldtptndtnt of thlt I"gtr c,p1t,U,tk WvctUft whkh nttd1do" Ictulln~. Wtll, tVtf~ Il1ht I know, to:-, dtgr..-,nd It', to th" dtgrte Ih"we 1ft III mOft or leu gullty-h" 10 dul w~h)ht'.locon'lll,neltl,Thtrt', I rultrtnd now to demun ,bllrlCl 111 " not Sting locl,lI~ rtltVlnl. Wh't you h,vtk I relurn 01 I kind of ']01 ructlon.,y Yllu, ,ysttm-tht form mlnll"h IUtlt InYlrlou, guhtl; tnttrt,lnmtnl " 111. poUtk,1 writing " '", upll,llIm " M.r.ln111, documtnllUon " Irt, mtdla " '11-ln tlft<t I rtvlmptd 'oel,1 rntllm or ,11II e~ryIhlngOlhtr Ih,n whal I ftell' tntntl,' " '" optrlenct. "I" ntytr Itll'nd I don'l 'ttl now. rhlt '" netm ,ny ju"lfk'llon outtldt 01 IUtll." '

2S'Tilted Arc; Enemy of the People?

of what one does:'lf one is determined not only to resist prior restraintsbut to win against the combined forces of conservatism and Ignorance,It h not enough simply to stand on principle and react to reaction. Butfor all hh sense of mission Serra has shown few signs that he is prepared

~ for the hurly-burly' of actual social struggle. Rather, with the excep-· tlon of his formal statement to the GSA hearings, he has been content· to bait his opponents, retreating from the role of "artist-hero" Into

that of "artist-victim," while leaving the hard work of building bridgesto his lawyer and more pragmatic partisans, This failure to dealdirectly-much less, generously-with his least articulate but most im­portant adversaries-that Is, those who on a dally basis must live withhis work-k, as much as anytHing, what accounts for the sourness whichhIS tinged this debate.

, The Intent here is not to "blame the victlm"-since the "victim": Is not Serra but the Tilted Arc itself and, with It, the cause of public

Irt.\oI While It h begging the questfon to suggest, as some at the hear­Ing did, that the solution to the problem was to tear down the building

, before which Tilted Arc stands rather than the work Itself, neitherwould a "prettier" or more compliant sculpture have mitigated thesingular ugliness of Federal Plaza. Though not a wholly successful work,Serra's piece Is nonetheless one of the most ambitious attempts by any

· GSA-sponsored artist to confront the premises of public sculpture, and,· approached on Its own terms, it is a truly Impressive work. However,T1Ited Arc shou!d remain where it 15 not only for these aesthetic reasonsor because removing It would set a disastrous precedent for programsIUch as Art In Architecture, but because It exists as a constant reminder

~ thlt It Is not Just the public that has something to learn, but also allthose who presume to speak for, and make. art In the public Interest.

.. Insofar as Tilted Arc has become a symbol of this tense and ongo-· Ing standoff between artists on the one hand and their governmentalpltrons and popular audience on the other,lt .150 serves to mirror the

, Image that the art community, and In particular the art Left, presentsto the world at large. In thai context, If the flap over Tilled Arc is in.

· deed to be taken as a test case of the "coming struggle" between reac­'tlon and progress, the rabble-rousers and the Intelligentsia, then theprospects are not good. For what~ver the bureaucratic or legal resolu-

·tlon to the issue (Serra has suggested that he will sue for an Injunctionto prevent the removal of the work), the crUe:I~1 fact remains that Tilled

;Arc's advocates lost the battle for the attention and sympathy of the~publlc.

,However complex or all·encompassing ti,e radical theory of the~ohtlcally minded art community has become. its praxis was revealed

Rob~rt Storr

FInally, for all his legitimate Insistence that the Integrity of TIlted Artdepends upon Its preservation In Its orlglnallo(ltlon, what he app.anto have Ignored all along Is that the "site" for such site-specific artworks 15 neither simply geographic nor purely aesthetic. It Is, from thl!outset, political, and politics Is not a matter of gestures but an onlng, often tedious but sometimes Instructive process. To make publkart Inevitably Involves anticipating and appreciating the soclallmpaet

<

2BfJ

There 15 no reason to suppose that Serra has changed these views,and In the present context It is a revelatory statement Indeed. For Inhis determination to liberate art from conventions of good taste Ind

.-social utility Serra glosses over the question of what If any are thlspecific political obligations for which artists may be held accountable:On a purely theoretical level there would seem to be none, for heassigns himself the same privileges that were claimed for the AbstractExpressionists by 'heir liberal apologists: looking back on and downat the Social Realism of the 193010 from an even greater distance than .:":.they, Serra describes the artist as a uniquely free Individual whose work :"'is by definition beyond Ideology. Yet this is the very contention whichSerge Gullbaut and others writing on the political content of the"apolitical" Amerkan abstraction in the 19505 have called Into ques- ~tion, and If that critique Is to have any meaning It must be applied not .­only In hindsight but In the present, and not just with respect to thoseartists who, like the Abstract Expressionists, make the quest for perJ '

sonalldentlty the subject of their work. but also to those, such as serr.(·who Irrogate to themselves a fictional freedom from historical im­peratives, with the result that they regard politks as an ancillary Ktlvfty; j,

...... In a glnulne political critique of culture what matters 15 not 111,ca artist's good Intlntlons or hh background-on which score Serfals full1.e",a as much a product of V.le and the University of California at Berkeley

as he Is of working-class San Francisco lind the steel plants In whkhhe labored as a student-but rllther the way In which art actually ententhe social world,lI Hans Halch, for one, has made the elucidation ofthllt process the subject of his work, and the effectiveness of hi'documentary outrage derives In no small measure from the sense of,proportion-and humor-with which he views the Ironies of his owrtparticipation In the very system he accuses. Though Serra's vision holdstrue to the faith of the 19605, when, he says, it was understood thlt"It was your lob as an artist to redefine society by the values you wertIntroducing rather than the other way around,"u he has evidently:gaIned no such sense of proportion and sees no humor in the comple•.'structure of trade·offs upon which his own success Is predicated. ':'

,-"

283TIlted Arc: Enemy of the Peop'e?

•. The "uhttles of "ru~I" Wfl one of the r«uuent nuklnc:, luUI1 whkh aoppedup In the htlflntp Ind In the pit" c_'91 cil the hlW. Onc.It" It h hardly~Ie 10~.flIrm thlt SfUI'I use 01 induItrill"HI k. 'Y'"bof ofhls soIidIrJ.Iy wflh th, wofklng d.n when In fec:I lhe WOfhn thlmst!Yft 111m (on,htilltly10 mhl Ihl pollJfllllCV of th.1 IlIlInl, Neverthelen. II Ih. l"llmony ml!le dur,the tulllng of (or-Tm lteel h. ,,If·protfCllv, procen. 1101 _ of chtfnkll de9fI"ll1'"tlon. MorlOVlr, levtFlllpuktr, polnled 01,11 thll the green p.tln. whkh COvellIUCh bekwed pltlr. ICUlplurfl " Ihi Nllh.n Hlle It.tlle 11111" Chy H.n h IIOthln9more or len Ihln'the t"ult of Ihll<lmUu o~lctllJon of brOllle. W'rt k nol fOl' Ihi9111lhl Kil"l whkh mit thl rorbel of Tilred Ate, Its rich m-l»-own pltln. wouldbt Iquilly bnullful.1Id In ttmt might COI'M 10 be 1AI'ldited by thoM who nowfind II ~ ob.ullonlble.

5. Oon,ld W. Thllec:klr. rh, PI~e of Art 'In th, World of Arr:hltfftu,. (New Yorlr:Chel". Hotlll. 19801.

,. "A ftvny E)'ttOtI Of I Worlr. of Art: Sc:ulplor Itkh.,d s.t',. Offends Hit Contl"OYenlll'Tltted Arc...• f'Hpk (1 April Itl5). P. 140. .

1. In rKml yun Iffortl No..,. belli midi to~n the "IKt!of\ procell 10 Ihe c0m­

munity" for whkh I worlr h cOrtlmlnlontd. end foltowlng Ihi Storr. dlbltl th.1 pro­(In Is bll!llIg fU'1her rUlllmlned.

•. Som. Ifllle of Ihe Ilrger polltkl.nd (til prlorltl.. of the ,llU.tlon mly be gInnedfrom Ihe followlnv: Over lhe p.,t _rill yean theft hwe betn numerOtIInewIp~Il"tldet concerning working conditions In GSA·manlgld buIIdIngt;. On 1unI' 29, IMS.I1lI"- YorA: Tim" tlportf'd Ihll Hnloroffldlh r..porulbll'or Ihe fldelll Com­p1e~'" Mlnhlnlll hid wllttel-.-.I months helon noUfyI:ng~ lNl drint;.

InO wlter In thl (omplu had bun found 10 conliin UIIlnU.1Iy high I_Is of Iud;Ihl Ifll rllulu h.dbun obt.lf'led In Ffbrolry lonowlng eomplltntl from war"',..',ui Chrlslolllll, Inhllnt reglon.lldmlnl,trllor for publk bul1dlll;t of the GSA,Wit Ihi ,poke,,"., who .ltlmpt.d 10 'lfJIl.ln Ih.t _IIY. He w...1Io I fflfmberof the Oltmond p_1 ton'tfnfd In MItCh lind Il"l OItemlbff reprllmllt/ve 01 thlInlffllb of feder" emploYl" In thf, Sfnl mJlttff. tt wovIcIlppllr ttl.1 ChfhtoUnlUll"lIldtfed Ihi "dlllg,r" pOHd by In lK9'1I1 buslntn, wMr'". blWd on hisrtrTIIlt, to Ihl1Jmef, h would IfffI'I thll hf, f,lt lhe helhh dlt'lgl( pGII(I by PGltlblyconlamlnlled w.ter WII nol.

9. NOI Ollly doll W~rllllf hold thl IIb,,,1 ,n.bU,hm'nl In (onlfmpl. thoughnumtrotn reprt"nlltlY.. of II ('ml 10 Tilled Arc'1 defenle, she hll betn tqVlll)'Komfulof th.1rt left wflh whom It'llt mlghl hive engaged In I polhM IIId cer.1.lnl)' I motl rtIpKtful dl.logue,

'n In Il"tkte Iltltd·"Holy Am.nel: Fernnl"" 11M! pOfMIIhm." publhhed In (klobt>rIn Ita1, Wtytrgllf dltmlued thl ''humanbm'' of crllk' Oon.1d Klnplt.nd llll:yllPJIlrd, ec:cUl11l9 In.m of ec:quleKlnce 10 th, IfUhtlkl 01 II!ntertllnfflfnl Illld Ih,polllk. of relormhm. aUl Wlytrgllf'l (lrk.lUll of thllr vI'WI I, hlrdly .11 .de.qUlle buk for. critique of either populi,," ~femlnltm, nor 1,It enough 10 "VII ,he '"mid to do. thll I rldk.1 .rt b m.nu)e<t by h, refulil to "pielie" It;iudlence. ThI publk h nol I phantom nerntth to be Ignored In prlClke while bl'Ing (ondf'lcmded 10. If nol d"Pktd. In lheOf)'. nor h JMbIk Irt Ilublldlud Ufl­dwln prly.te vfnve.H~OM mlY Judge llpp.,d', w"enl Iflte.lhe flCI If.

" ",,1m ''''I the hfl IlkllI lhe rkk of Illploring lhe .ponlbHltlet'Of teec:hlng out to,

Robert Storr

,....The GSA Art In N(hlt«turt P'09'1Ml'l w~, flt.tllbhed ulld" the lCeMecty Idmlnhtr•.tlon In 1961. 5kM::e Iii foundltlorll, hfl commlnloned over 200 worb. flnlndnst ..Ihlm III r..don of'lZ of I pettmt of Ihi totll (omlruc:tlorl (mu 01 thf, bulhInI .fOf whkh thl wort h plMlMd. 1M SfNlllfllr II by no mfltll thf, flnt tim. thIfpublic outcry hIS t"utted from thft. (ommlnlom. '" 1966 Ihi progllm WII tuVpmchd fll tttuft of ,.IdJont .tI".d·by I mU1i1 pllllted by Rob.rt MottlltWtl ••for tn. f,d.,.1 lu"dlng kl Imlon, "fllor,d III 1912 during th, HI~on Idmlnlltt.·.tloll and plec:.d umIIr thl dlrKtonhlp of OOlllld Th.lec:klr. who ulll OC(upIft ttlt .pmt, In. pr09'"_ embltbd upon • "rle, of "P' Ind down, of which thf, sen,· ...If.tr h onty the 1,1m epJsoct.. tII"1' III,r.1 Sell.tor Wdllim 'ro~mlre _ardt4"th, progr.m hh "Goktft\ ftHu AWMd," lo~ lhe frlCllon 01 OMS otdftt.l~bUfg·.'.t Column. Ind th-t"1I" h,~I""" cut 10 l/l-9f I perc:mt of~~.cmu. III 1977 III orIgfnll budgd WII tenorld. bll1 thll 'lml Y'II" • Ior'If(onlrOYeny__tullly Imklbly rllOlwd-fttulted from the eommlnlonlng of ..... :dl SllVero', Moto Vlgt'f 1n GFilld "~Idl. In 1985, Plllld,nt ""g," glYl lhe Art':In Archltt<ture progrlfTl on. of thlrtlfn FIIlI 'relldentl.' Aw.rd5 fOf DIdfrl1he,IIIMe. . fl..

2. Itkh.rd s.v,: fntf'n'ltws Etc.. 1J7D-lNO, wriltln .nd compl~ in coUlborllloll'/with ctlfl Wl)'frlJflf (Vonhn: HIldIOl\ "/ver Munum. 1980), p. 161. ,~.,

J. Tlll,d Arc'. Ilrudy volun'llnotn prtt' hblory 1Ill,cll thlt Imblvl!lIlC'. """.Schleldlhl, writing In the V1r.l7f Volet. ,I.mmed the work whln It WI' flr,t Inltlltd.t.• nd Cotrlnt VOKI (tille GIf)' Indl'"1 hal been no Ill. Ie.thlng. Mlehlfl.afemoft ;of thl TImtf. howt..,.r, CarM 10 THted Arc'l dlfenn, " did hi, eonll\JUI GriceGlulck. though her ¥OIl 'Of tlttndon WIS helYlly qu.UfM!d by qUfltlon1~ theGSA'.I.IKUon pt'ocm. MIIt1WhifI, cOVIrlge In the W.1I5trHf Joumlllncf .New York d.m.. hll bun uniformly MlJIIIve. Nflwork TV trUlmenl hnchltldlrlnd by _kerr 01' that -' of ,",""g btmUMI'M1I1 _hormm ,...,... 101."hurMrt ","",," ...... IbcM ftQfltrk """mon..

in this case and In others-such as the divisive fights, In recent years,over "artist houslng"-to be uncertain If not wholly ad hoc. To that .\eldent, Tilted Arc stands as a monument to the convergence of for· '.mallst art and "formalist" politics-a politics, that Is, of theory without .praxis-with the aspirations of the art falling prey to the manifest con· '(tradlctlons of the politics. Moreover, It Is a reminder that when the In-·.:terest of artlsll and those of a largely uninformed and hostile commtJnl.: ~

ty collide, however self·evldent the mbral, social and aesthetic ques- '.tions Involved may seem, In practical terms the burden of proof wItI ::always fall upon art's defenders, as does the challenge to find not only :­the reasons but the language to make them Intelligible to those for. 'whom art k at best a decorative amenity and at worst an authoritarian·' ~Imposition. The positive outcome of the debate on Tilted Arc Is that·that challenge and the cost of IgnOflng this lesson have been made In- '.escapably plain. "!

181

\".

285Tilted Arc: Enemy of the People?

tlng It to drift In I 'l"lI, ."hIIKtut.1 no-mln'Hlnd ~ th'lll would (ome to bleen II the CI\II1 for the pf.u', IIClr. of ammlllel Ind p,ogrenlve dlterloUllon~

All OthefWlte unlnributed quot.tlon1 .re I.ken Irom tr'"Krlpll of the Ol.mond he.,.ir'I9'I publhhed by the GSA.

Robert StO"284

.nd II!'I\glgllllllht Imig/nillon.nd coneerll' of. tholf for whom (ontempot.ry Ittwould olht'rwkl be Ifltn Il"ld Ihtul'n!ng.

MorlOYlr. Judy Chk., 1ft .ttln whom lIpplrd chimp'oo' Ind Weytl"II"f II,tick,. It I\Ot the prlmlt")' and c,ttllnl)' 1101 lhe onty 'limple of .n .rtkt who hISventulfd 11I10 thb tr,ec:hlrOln tft'lIln. Wh.lfI/ft' 01\1 m.y thlnlr. of hh mlrepreneuW.n.r(hl,m. Chrhto, for OM. hll long u,umed Ih, If,pon,lblllty of ,duc:.llng h.h.udlence.lncorpollling 1I0t only Indun,l.1 m.tttl.1t Inlo hi, worlr., but the I.bor.nd IIChol(l1 ,Ir.UII of hllllOn·.nhl (ol1lbollton II well. AI", worth eon,ldtt,""Irl Ihl n\IIMfOUI ....d IOmlllmlt function. publk worb of 5en"1 peK Indchildhood friend M.tt dl $oII'Iro. lhe "dlrm .dc:I"u" Ir1 of 8.mlll Kruget, the,lIe'lpedfk ",""n.tlorl. of Jon'lhln lorohir.y Ind Ihe prOlJllm, of CrlltlYt Tlmt,wholf "mporll)' projem for "Art Oil Ihilluch" mlghl btll be though~of IS theMlk Thllter of Kvlplurl.

In Ihe conl..t of Ihtle Ind olh'f Ulmplu. Weyttg"f', dlllrlb, .g.llIIt"populllf'l" h moll I IfnICtlon of ldeologlc.l,b,olut" Ih,n I (on,ld,ullon 0'the ponlblltltt riMet by Irtllt. wortIng In IIIlntl1l«"'" IfI.llon wlttl IIMIr 1UdIencI. .

10. H.nlet Stnle. '"The "Ight Stuff." A1tlMwl {Mardl 19841. pp. 52.nd 55; lind NchIrd •S.n.lnre""fWf. p. 141.

1 t. ftkhlfd h". Inl'rvfIwf. p. 'l.

12. Much I, m.dlill Slftl (lltkltm of hi, worlrlng-cl.u orlglll' .nd hll Vlf of IndUllrttl ~

mltttl.11 .1Id proc:."tt, 'tld In Ihe hlltlllg5 AAnllt' Mkhelwn argu,d. "Wh.11 ,with to polnl oul ... h.tM (onltme:tlon In Slrr. of I rill concern fOf lhe tKIUo11of hh _lr. II "fltld 10 Ih.1 of worlr.llIg ,.,..n '" ttlh cour'ltry. II lmotlnt from It :.....d hh concl", thll people _lr.tIIg IIId living In thlllcJht of Iheft _lr. be c_fronted with an Itt which chll1engfl Ih.t•... Ih.1 the offici worker bt pl'fIII\Ildwith Ih.t ••",..kllld of eh.II,"~Ih.t Ihe mlddl, din .lId Upplt e1ln.rt pltrOlll •hlVl loulld 10 11I1.,,,tI1l9." Though ,om,wh.t p.tronlzlngly ,t.ted by Mkhlhon,Ihlt It I nobl. Imbltlon. bUl onc, .g.ln lhe pfoblem I, th.1 • b.ld "Chl"'"9'''k 1\001 .Iw. enough. !'\peel.11)' when It h dur th.1 wh.tner motlYlt" s.t',,1n ,hI, Irt h iaJlct 1'01 bp.g (ommunk.ted In WIYl thlt m.h lell'le to hh OItenslbttIVdlencl."lIThe bwdln of th.t mbundentlndlng Is 'fill 10 rlttl onty Oil the pubk,then protlltltlom of 1OCi.1 tldk'lkm~on Sfrrl', bec:lrglound Irllvtt IIIIIIlIfor llldifferenci.

U. Sellie. "Thl "Ighl Stuff," p. 55.

1•. At fir Il Ihe prec:tk.1 (onllquerKtI of Ippllrlng to "bl.m, thll! vlUlm" "' con· ...c"lIed. I would Idd ttllt I hi"" w.lted tin now 10 pvbllth thll plec, '0 fl 10 b•.• ble to lndudt 1II1r·. d1cblon aM h. IImUk.tlom. I emphltk.Uy do not with to'ff TlftH Arc rlfTlO'ftd. fleglldlllg Ihe h,ue of thl uqlln,u of thf, Fldlrll I'Ild',lIe 11"lf. ,h," h Ivery Indk.tlon 'rom the Ilttllmonr glv," th.1 Ilttl, or nolhlrlt.WII doni bython til chlrg, oftht cOrtlpl.. to Impr~ thf,loc.llon by.dd1ng "lb•• rr,"gl"g (01\(.111 IIoulld the I(ulpture, or rebulldlllg the fOUllt.ln wllh whkh"1I.,ld 10 connlcl. Nor did '"yOll' pfoperl)' polke the IIfl10 Ih.t Tilled Aft woutdnol bUGmI thl III~I of Ihl gllllill whIch '0 offended fedftll employeflltldmull urt.lllly h ..... \/plel Sfnl hlm"lt. Nor """ anplgnUk.nl ,!fott m.de toof·fer Utftlture or organlll 9rGUP" to vklt the _t '0 th.t h m19hl bl!'t1,r beuMentood. If Ih.1 flUure Willtl overtlght on the p.11 of the Arlin A"hll«I......progr.m, It WOlIld lum thll )oc,l OlfJell" respondble for TIIrll!d Arc', upkeep trMItheIr ,mployees' wen·belllg Wl!'r' more th.n h'ppr to cui the work 10011, permit..

.....

Richard Serra's "Tilted Arc":Art and Non-Art Issues

By HQrTirt $rll;r

D urin! the nigbt of March 16. 1989.Tifud Arc (Fig. I) was dismantled

by the General Services Administration(GSA) and stored in a warebouse in

_Brooklyn. This same fedenl govern­mCnl agency in 1979,"u part or itspercent-for-art program. had commiJ.sioncd Richard Serra to buikl • sculp­lure (01" Federal PIau in lower Manhat­tan. According to established agencyprocedure. the commissioning processbegan. with recommendations by thebuilding architect 10 include sculpture inthe plaza. Selection of tbe artist wasmade by a three-member pand of anprnfessioftals appointed by the NationalEndowment of the Aru (NEAl.· Duringthe two-year evaluatiOll period that fol·lowed. Serra addressed GSA amcernsover placement. maintenance., lighting.and so forth, unlit the sculpture wasaCt."Cptcd by "agency dffi<:c:s in bolhWashington and New York. The salientpoints here are J) that Serra followedestablished procedures and fulfilled allGSA requirements. and 2) that theGSA could not have been, in any way,surprised by Ihe appearance of TillrdArc.! .

Aflet its installation in 1981 the GSAreceived a few complaints. This initialfturry, not unusual fOt any new piece.soon died down. Critical receplion of thepiece was mixed.) By 1983 localemployees interviewed aI the siteseemed largely puzzled or disturbed bythe 5CUlpture.. Some referred to TilttdArc as ""the wind breaker,- in apprecia.tion 0( this decidedly non-art function!

In 198. William Diamond _uappointed GSA Regional Administra­tor, and subsequently, largely as a resultof Diamond's maneuvers. the publiccontroversy began. Initially, Diamondtried unsua:cssfully to haft the sculp­ture removed by soliciting potentialalternative sites in and around NewYork City.' Throughout. Diamond in­sisted that his judgment was not aC5­thelic and that he was not censoring a

nr. 1 Richard Serra, Tilrrd Arc, installed 1981. Cor-Ten steel. New York City,Federal Piau. Photographed February 1987.

specific allematift location would be anappropriate site. On December IS,1987, in the pourina rain, Richard Serrastood in front or TiJud Arc andexplained its site specificity to tbis NEApanel. which was chaired ~ tbe labormediator Theodore Kbecl.' They votedunanimously that the sculpture couldnot be moved without destroyina itsanistic integrity and intenL Kheel con·eluded that any rurtbcr attempt to fiodan. appropriate alternative site would be-3t best academic and at wont an ncr·cise in rutility."

Throulhout. this period, Serra persis­tently soulht legal remedies to protec:tthe sculpture.1 In September 1987 afederal judIe ruled against a claimby tbe anist that his first-amendmentrigbts had been violated. In March 1989a Iast~itch effort to save Tillrd Arcunder the Berne Conw:ntion for the p~tection of literary and Anistic Work$(recently signed by the United States)

\ ~, \197

work of art. His public argument con;centraled on the alleged destructiveeffccu of the sculpture on the socialfunction of the plaza. Yet he orderedplaced in the lobbies 0( the tWO federalbuildings that frame the s.ite petitions-For Rclocation,- assertin8 that the sig­natories -find no artistic merit in theSerra art.....ork:·

In March 1985 Diamond beld a pu~

lie hearing over which he presided. Hechose tbe fouNnember pand--t.'O ofwhom were empio)'ed by GSA-andtben evalll:lted the results of three daysof testimony by 180 witnc:sses.'The pan­el's recommendation, hardly a surpriseafter Diamond's previous statementsand actions.. was Ibat the sculpture berelocated. This left the Deat step toDwight Ink. then actin, administratorof tbe GSA in WashinctOft. who sug­gested that a professional panel beappointed b)' the National Endo....·mentfor the Arts to determine whether a

AN Inurna/,..

,

• "• ,~i,

'!I ..., ..

~. .~ .-,~. • •

art process, It is a lamentabl~ exampleof yet another burC?uc,ra~lc syst~m

manipul::ated b)' a hostile Insider to ar­cumvent the workin, checks and bal­:lnees. The rcsulu of the removal ofTilttd A,C' will continue to be felt forquite some time, Michael Faubion.assistant dire<:tor for the Visual AruPl'Olt:lm for the NEA (and. as such. th.eliaison with the GSA). feared that Itmip.ht jeopardize the existence of localpercent-for-an programs.. -The mes­Slle.- he said. -of THud A'~ is thatneither le,al procedures nor a~ a~isfs"'ishes make a difference. ThIS sl,nalfrom the federal ,overnment can havevet)' SCrloU$ ramifications:'" Certainly

lll'?

art, which was perceived as commercialcommodity. Theoretically. a work wascreated for a specific site and thereb)"beame a pan of it. This approach gov­erned both the land art of Robert Smith­son (and othen working in remoteregions of this country? and an. increas­ing number of gallery InstallatiOns con·cerned witb the creation of an interiorenvironment rather than the display ofindependent art objects.

An unresolved pmbIem of site speci­ficity in' a publi~ space is that .the siteiuclf may undergo change. possibly fre·quently. Sometimes, too. a sculpture willwork very well in a site other than theone for whicb it was originally desi!ned,This appeared to be the case with Ser­ra's Clortz.C1Q'a., which. although notspecifically intended for the, CentrePompidou, was to have been Installedthere as part of the Scm. exhibition.Because of load-bearing problems. how·ever, it W2S temporarily.resited in theTuileries. when: it met with great criti­cal acclaim." Upon its purchase by theCity of Paris, it was relocated in theSquare de Cboisy. At Federal Plaza itwas Scm's intention to "I) structurethe piau and create directions. accen­tuating existin! pedestrian patterns. 2)link the twO sites of the federal enclavein that the sculpture should act as abridge. connecting and visually gather­ing the different fedenl arcbitectures.::and 3) create a sculptun.1 space withinthe plaza which could be eaperienced bythose crossing the.plaza on their wayinto and out oftbe buildinp...•

I ndeed, TiJud. A'~ real~zcd Serra'saims, It provided a vanety of con·

stantly ch'lDging views that intera~eddirectly with the street and the archtt~c.ture, From an initial approach. walkingnorth along Centre Street. il bore anuncanny resemblance to I view of !-tCorbusiers chapel at Ronchamp (F'r,J)_ From above. as it was secn from anumber of surrounding buildings, TiludAN' formed a graoc.fulline. a;lmost lyri­cal in its nature,

Yet this was not the an experience ofmany, Quile literallY, many individualscouldn't see beyond the size (12 by 120")and the material of the s.culpture, Thesculpture did not block actual paths tha: tpeople used to cross tbespaC7' Rather,lttemporarily blocked their View of whalwas on the: other side of the sculplur;e, 'This was perceived as thrutenin&. whilethe NSted surfac:e: of the: Cor-Ten steel

. ~ . Ie"was frequently perc:av~as an InsuFurthermore. its placement was seer.

as an obstacle to public use of tbe spaoc.Tilud AN' doesn't actually inhibit con·certs and performanc:cs. as was fre­quenlly stated. The composen Philir

199

it will make existing pl'Olrams moreconservative and thus seriously comp~mise them,11

To,ether with these is.sues of ~blicpolicy. 3 closer" look at the a~ lSSUCSinvolved in the TiIt~d A,C' case IS man­dated, Art issues have to do primarilywith style and 3nistic intent and t~irappropriaten~ to a site. The, most Sll­nificant art ISSue about Tllttd A,C'seemed to be its site specificity, (It wasIhis argument that convinced the:ldvisory panel that the 5CUlplu~ cou.ldnot be moved without destroysnl IUessence.) In the 19701 the conc:e:pt Qfsite.specific art became i.mponant. asartists sou,ht an 31ternallve to objCCt

An jOllrnQl'00

st:lndin" I have been arguing for sometime for the inclusion .:If an art-edua_don componenl in the public-an pro­cess, An education is at present such :I

peripheral plIrt of our public-cducationsystem thai most audiences come topublic art without any b3ckground inthe visual:lra wh:luocver.u An edUCl­tion program would at least present the,eneral public with the kind of informa­lion that is. as a m:llter of course. avail_:lble to a museum audience-tbe COD­text and voc:tbular)' (visual and verbal)with which to undentand a work of an,thoul!:h not necessarily to lik.e it..

P ublic cxpecta.lions for a site usuallybegin wilh public amenities. Unfor·

tunately. these were neither addressedby the GSA nor included as pan ofScm's commission, Federal empioyeesexpressed the desite for trees.. benc:hes,and more open space-all at a premiumin crowded lower Manhattan. "Publicsculpture in an urban site is not 'Jrbanrenewal. although it is often expected tofunction that way, An independent orsite-specific sculpture will not ob¥iatethe need for landscaping or street fumi­ture. These c1eatly should be consideredat the time of building as part of the sitedesi,n. To varyinl degrees. they ma)'fall under the aegis of the anist Of

afl:hitect or the landscape archilect.What emerged at the hearings and in

Di:lmon<l"s subsequent statements was avision of Federal Plaza without thes.culplure as an idyllic haven of openspac:e: (Fir. 1).·' In reality. the fountain.'A'hich predated the Serra sculpture, per­sistently ftooded one part of die plaza orthe other. depending on the direction ofthe wind, It remains today mostly in­operative, Of course. no sculpture canmake up for inhuman architecture orinh'ospitable urban design. Neverthe­less_ public sculpture is frequently com­missioned with just thai unstated andprobably unrealized expectation, .

Had Tilt~d A,t the benefit of a dif­ferent commissioning procedure withcommunity input and a thoughtful edu·cation program. I careful considel"lttonof public amenities at the site, and theultimate right of due process, theresults. in all likelihood. woukl bavebeen differenL In the wake of Oil·mond's action. policy and pnx::edunlissues remain to be addressed. or these.perhaps the most important are: Sboukia removal procedure be an official partorthe public-art process? Ifse. what arethe justifUble. grounds? Should there btanv time constuints'! Who shoulddecide and how'!

The pnxcduresattendin, the remO\-:J1"f THfrd ,-1,<" .....ere dearh' a subve~"f the denllXr.l.li.:: ;,IS ""di 3$ the publi.:

198

ferendy. Such information is. as a mat­ter of course, provided for a museumaudience. It is all the more neccsury Ita public site,

Without it. only a narrowly circum­scribed way of seeing is possible, In life(although not in art) '...e are usuallyrestricted to a -looks like- or metaphori­cal means of identification, The need toidentify and undentand what we see isbasic; it is a nCCC$S&ry way of makingthe unknown familiar. Simply put, if wecan't identify a moving ar as such, weare physically at risk.. Ifwe can't place awork of art in an undentandable con­texL we are emotionally and intellec­tually threatened, Much ofthe pervasiveunease evoked by new works ofart in thepublic domain can only be undentood inthat COntexL

Tilud Aft' was compared to the Ber­lin WaiL To some. Serra's sculpture.more than most, was perceived asthreatening, In a museum or gallerysetting this quality was praised as pow­erful,u In a public spaoc it was inter­preted by many as hostile. Others appre­ciated it as heroic., an expression of thepotential of sculpture 10 function as adramatic visual and perceptual dementin an urban context-.nd. therefore. inlife,

In any event. the comments elicitedby Tilr~d Arc went beyond any implicit-hostile- content in the piece. Thesculpture wu seen as beinS downrightdanga'OUS. A physical-security special­ist for tbe Fcdentl Proceetion and SafetyDivision of the GSA went so far u tostate that tbe piec:e: presented ". blastwall effect~mparable to daiceswhich are used to vent explosive forc:e:s,This one could vent an explosion bothupward and on an angle toward bothbuildings....u Althoulh this testimonyrepresented an extreme position, it didunderline a recumna theme of a per­ceived threat of physical -violence ass0­ciated with the sculpture,

Following a similar line of thinkina.George Sugarman's GSA sculpture.BQltimon F~d~'Ql. of 1978, was seen asthreatening because rapists could andtherefore presumably would hide behindit.l • Although these and comments likethem are initially amusina. they I'CYCI.Ithat serious i$$Qcs are at stake for thosewho utter them. Feelinp of helpk::ss:Dessfrequently rcudt inea~ ofba5til­ity, Over and O'm' apin, we sec thepublic rendered hdpkss and bo5tik byan they don't or can't understand. Withor without the necusary tools or YOc:abu­lary to do so. the 'enetal public will tryto interpret the objects th:u continue tobe put in their spac:e:s.

S«ing may be believing. but \l..ithcontemporary an it is r:trel)' under-

was abandoned on advice of counsel,Although Serra could find no legal pro­tection, a high-ranking and politicallyappointed official, William Diamond,was able to act. without c:e:nsure, in anarea where no official policy existed,over an issue that was then the focusof considerable public debate andcontroveny.'

How was this permitted to happen'!What'were Diamond's motives'! It wassuggested by KVeral persons closelyinvolved that tbe conservative Diamondhad long-standing political ambitions inNew York City and was USittl this issueas a vehicle fot pe;nonal publicity andpolitical leverage.It Regional adminis­traton are political appointees andreport directly to the director of GSA inWashington. The more important theregion (and New York is clearly one oflhe most imporunt), the more poten­tially powerful the regional administr:a­ton. What made Diamond's positioneven more powerful was that througboutmost of these proceedings there was calyan acting director of GSA in Washina:­ton-Richard Austin, who had previ­ously been the rqional administl"ltOt inChicalO aDd was therefore sympatheticto the issue of 10caI control..

I nvariably, the public an system oper­ates in a political arena and is thus

subject to a variety of non-art issuC$ thatmust be taken into acc:ounL Personalambition and local politics are alwaysoperative and germane. These are tied topublic opinion, which can, of c:ounc.. bemanipulated, With Tilttd Arc. publicopinion apinst the sculpture mountedas the events were reported, or mine­ported, in the press, The role of themedia in irresponsibly fanning the fimof public-art controveny requires fur­ther documentataon, Why is it, forexample, that altboulh 120 of the 180witnesses at the March 1985 hearingwere in favor of keepina TI/ud A,~ atFederal Piau, the public perc:e:ption wasthat the majority of people testifyingwanted the sculpture to go? The corre­spondence received by the GSAthroughout was approximately 85 per­cut in favor of keepina TUtu AI't'.11

Had the Serra "bearinS" been held asan open discussion at the time of thecommission, things miaht have IOGC dif­ferentlv. Had the public., like Khee.I'spand, initially had the benefit ofSerra'swords instead of Diamond's, they mighthave: been better able to appreciateTiltu Aft' and to resist Diamond'smanipulative tactics, Had there been,say, a video procram in tbc buildinglobby continually explainina tbc sculp­ture.. its changing audience might haveseen and experienced the sculpture dif-

21 Allbe Mudl191S~CtJIoIodGrilrIIIfIllhe N... VOtk DiIuics Covt 01 EnP-sfOIOad 1a._lpc.ntIO_-~ ~!Ilu,

rull' .... 11 01 sbecl..lBCU.l- Ha-brrt St..,.rqiofIal diftel« oI'AcIioll. ",Jrrnd to it u,his terrible I'lIIted stnICIvc..- Jud,e 8mwdNC'l'fmlll fllWlCl it diftiC1lll lo mc:ntJo. ordClr:ribr Ihia tlIftiq bllii ill d,'lIi6ed II.11IIac.M Perha"" _I Ull'ClllC ..u Jud"DiCllrlo·s ...,ppoIitiOll Mihal tltil tuSI.Cd iror.objCCl"'" U aflli'lrrTOI' bIIrric:adr. plnol OIUcruh pI'OJralll 10 pNlCCl JO"'CnImentai bIIiId·inll apiMI lenvrDt acti'rilics..- In liPt·oIcoonmellu liie tbil.. Sma'I 1I1Ol'111C)', Gcnk:R_....~ wryI)'. -Nt!"" the ..1lok tIliIIlilbollt nmlbowl, kiadol ptCjIIdicl<apiMt. tlrIOIidalioa 0I11lCd..~ An>Mu Da.1A, ill-ltidIaKSerra..M TU S,orU IIfr'w Art. NC'O' York. 1911.p. 171. disawa tM- ....y ;. _1Iicll ,. i>~ as bc..Iil,1 ill, __ IUd oa'J itlhe out.. CIt'rit'onmnl.

2J s«; C,m. TomullL, "'Tlrlo: An Word; Till"A",. - Tlot lirw y.ur IM,y 20. "IS). P

'<Xl"

21 DanlO(cila;la. 21). p. 90, obscfYCd IbatScrn'K'Ulpc"", -made ,,"id the INlh tllallOl'llC\l:lilljm&ylllccced as a wori ol'rt but fail If1_1ol public an. ~

ddellden.. :u Ooes 1M clu:l~ 111 find IKIt fIII.I)

lhe fCUOfti bon lbe lan,u,c 10 lila" Illanilltdlilible 10 I!law: for ..hom ." ia .1 ben •drmnlliYC amenil)' lad 'I~1 aft ....Illoritu_ian impoaitiOll..-

16 Al Iftc hariflP. Chief Judie Rio 01 !he U.s•Coun of lllicrutional Trade obJrnoed thaIbefore ni". A'C". ~he piau Krwd as, pku..,nl and h...mne open spaer fo, fedenlemplo)'ft$. cidttns 01 N,.. York••nd Yisilon10 Ihis ,.cal cil)'.- Diamond imiSled that hepun...ed n:~1 of tile K'Utpcun: bro.... itcompromise:lthr 1flIC& (or ..Ilicll il ""U _

miuionetl. Fill&ll)', be &lid lhat ile ""U -_

.,a1i6ed Wt _ will be .bIe Ul ret.", 111 tile

public tile IUC 01 11M: pIa.z:a WI it bu boadaIied """'1.-s.: 0."'" W. o.lI1Ip.-Artist".nGoM Fisht Ul ~r UpRIOlin, of Plu:ISc.lplllrc..- Ii"" YOr''' """'. Mudl16,19I9.

0·'1'"T1lcK comtlOC1ItI "'Cl"II: IIU4c in~_

willi 11M: ,ulbor .. April or. 1"9.

11 Srr= Midlad Bt"CtiOll, "Tbr Mcuy Sap 01mud.hr b Fat rrom eMf,- T7w Ii_ Yor"Ti_s. April 2, ttl,. pp. ))...).4. ConYcnltiolls..itll K'I'CfIl.n adminisua-. and ,rtisQ; indi­calC lhat, _-.....Iiam hu.badylallOdismi$lll tJf K¥Ua1 pcntlin,_m~ _pcrcci-:l as 100 risky.

19 for ,n uerllenl di$cu.$.sion oIlbil piecc....:Y~·AlainBoil. "Tbr Ma- in tJM: Ga....~An til AltWricor (Sommer 1914), pp. 101-1).

20 Sern made tbis IUlCmalt lit Uor GSAadrisory pllldon o..:-brr U. Iftl,wbacilwu abo .nibble ;. writ_ fonL

IS5

Horrrirr Sr"ir;s C~uut£dito, ofthis issur ofArt Journal.

9 Al the lilllC oItllis "";Iinl t....re was lIill 1IOoI'IicAl policy for lile~I 01. GSA _IpoI... re. T1Ir coonpla. factorS i.~ ia ckvrlop­inl aucII a policy .nt dixusecl ill k«rq LCtlI;Uhank and Pam Koru. Goi., 1"IIblic: AFitl. C;";., to Dro"~Ji. An ill /'JJJk'lIJ(fJ. Amhast. MA. I9IL pp.12S-).4.

10 AlIIOll' lhose ..-lao uprClScd tllis opillioll illCOflYCl'Mtion ";Ih lile lIutbor ....,IIM: laIC Don­.Iel "Thalackn. bead 01 lbe: CiSA'1 Art·in·"rcllitCCl... rr prtl,n",. Olhcn illlilled 011.l\OIIym'ly.

II for IlIia 1&U and otlter IUtiatia., sec; DOlIHa"lhorne. MDocs the hblic WlIlIl PublicSculplDft~Art Ii_I (May 1"1). pp. .56-61.These disc:repl__ ,nt abo docamraIed inRichaJd Serra. -Tiltrd A'l' DCltroyed.~ Art illA.-rioI(M,)' I9I9)pp.J4-C1.M)'a.e:e-nt0itile facu .~ M1bu.ntiaUy ,,;tb. Sc:rno'I,

,lIbou.1I Illy iala"flRUlioII 01 I1Io:m dill"as__hal. I ICC [)glllOlld"s acUo. lea as •iUllC'1Da1I of RcpabGa. policy (ahboq1Ilbrydarly rdIaa. Uor C1Irrao1 ~1ioa'1

emphasis 011 propcny ql_) d iii U &fbi.Inr)' IIWIifeaatioll ol pn-.I bitioII IUdwlf.illicrat.

201

l1Sara'1 rrtroIpCCtin III T1IIc M_ of Mod­en An. in 1916. oonllined ,lupCGr-Talarelhal bisected ,n aldnt pllrry and wu oIlC1lCOlnp'tcd Ul Titlrd.hr. W!lnaI aitial opi....iOII on Sara Ii .. importanl K'UlpIfIf is .1lnoIIIIl1l.f1i~y f.'#Ofabk, iud'fnrllt. on Tit".A't" remain 1IIi.tcd.

Il AtI,-,1l adllliui... WI aD litis _W libbomt. 01 __ ca,.aly. V"di O"tlooJP­RI1y,. p/Io)"siakcnrity qrccialitt. Cot tIlr Fed­rnI~ ,lid Saldy 0;.... ol GSA..CIOtId..scd Ilcr~y'l tile Ilea"", 'IritIl UorotIaocrnliofl t.ltal.t ""1atd} _ ,nt apeailll the~ in thr fcdrnllClCSOl.-

I" $q.annan·s lpI'I_lin, and coIorflll ialtpt,rc..,II_,II m1ically dilfarnt in i1yk frml tbe:Serra. dicited limila. raponsa lu:riq 111 do..-itll '" implied IJI""'I 01 pbysial 'riok~ forr"'rlllrr disaassion 011 the S......nnall pica:. soc:Thalacker (cited II. 2). pp.1-1). •

1$ "II ucdlelll illldyolthe pltcc.oI.n edUClltioflill d'lr publie schools is .~i1a1llk ill &7OfIi/Cnorli,.,: 1M !'Iorn lOt Art l,. A-nu'1S,1IotJJJ. Mali'" 1"$. hldllded;' Elliot w.Eiuln's compcUi.. CIoIIy-WlIIy An ia Ed_·lion and Wby An EdaatioL- PI'-......,. ant

lile foilo-illJ abl"lllilll IUtiItia:; -"t tM- dr·_allIY IdKloIlr'I'd t1Iq (iM: .ra)-...adalb.. 11lta: paalIt oltlle~Iu­pet" wed. Al Ibr --.b"1c'ICI.".....i.....dya,hly pualU oI,II.,h IdKloI alldnu cooro/till no finc aru 00.","," dIIriq tile ro., ranlhey In: i,. .1Icn4.1lC'c. Laa Ill.. Ibm: pa"CIalt

or aU",1looI diwicu rcq.int Mlldy i. _oIlhefine ara as a COIldiliooi (or Indulion. l\rresull 01 att'I::U dcnird is a """111 01 edua·lioIIl!latlru.,. mosl S1udrnu ... 1OI111k to pa.nici­p;l1C in the 'ru.... "nislie litrncy is a ra~

educalional commodily.- IU Robert SIOl'T con­cludrl ill ~Ti"nI Arr:- Enemy oIli1e Peapk.­Art ill A"""';,. (Srpl:rmbcr 1915). Po t6.-!hebunkn 01 proof" ..ill ,1..a)'5 (,.II .poI .n·s

Art lottnrfll

~ T.... GSA pn.;.,ct rmn:r..c. in clla',e of Tit"..~"'. Juli:t 8'-.... 'CI::I11cd al the ...,bscq...c:nlhca"II' lllal s..cm. addreucd all the GSA Cll;.-.

~-r'M and lhal il ""all .....drntood lUI be ..·asfll<llias a flCnnlollCnl piCC'C (or lhat Spice. T1M:CiSA ....iddina ill commiuiollin. nlu. A",..·cte tllGl.r rsublishrd ill 1971 "" CiSA oI'l1ciaband Briall O·Dahcn)·. II>c:II dir«lOr 01 tbeVis.ual Aru Protnm fot the NEA. This proc:r­dun is outlined in Donald 'Thalacker. Tit,I'I,,~ tJlArt ill II" WrNt.olA'C"IIi1«I,,". N...York. 19&0. p. ~m. "tlhe lime 0I1b1: commis­,ion 01 Til" • .hr. Ihese procedutcs -erclirady IIftC1rr ~CW'. " l'C\'iIecI pr'OCCdufC,ckvrltJpcd la'ld)" b)' Richard AndfC'lOi., !bendircctOf 01 11M: Visul Aru Prosram 01 11M:NEA. 'QlI 5UblrqllCIIUy p'" inUl drca. Itailed for InOfC _illlP pet" project .nd 11M:opporlunily for commnil)" palticiplltiontiu'oul_l. This pI'OCCK lias bra> nuwlII 011.trial buis fot_yan.. but.t 11M: timcoltbis..null' 1IU,.et 10 be f_Qy.PPfO"'C'd b)'!beGSA.

) Pet", Sclljdc!.lkl-AniWc COftttol.- TM VII­btf't V(lin. October" 1......20. I9Il. pp. 100-101.pucnlrd ..hat 'OI'U the Il1O'1 ncptm:",",",01lbe pircc. II dicited • si:tablcCOIT~..lIiell "'&I C'f'CIlly dmcMd ill iu opinion..

.. Comrnrnu __ elicited -.- , period 01 lime

.. lIile I "as doin, rcsa.~11 for 'n anick Oft

Riehard Scm...hiell Ippratcd as-rbc Ri,btSI ...lf.- Art Nrwl (Ma~h 1914). pp. S<l-$9.

$TlM:K illCludcd W...e Hill 1M CtJOPel'·He-itlM-..o..nd sil.,. .dmiaislrn:d b)' Ibc cily',Paru.nd R~liofIOqarunrnt.

6 1lw: pud mcmbcts were Gu10Jd TIImsqtaC'lill' deporty rqioul admitlistnlOl') udPalll Gin.liai I.elill' &llisUltt rqiorIaladmiaiwilClf fOf CiSA'1 hblie ....ildillp.ndRal P'ropcn).). btKll or ..born -.ted for [)g.mord. lad Mielw:l Findlay (riat.pn::Utlrn1 01ClIIristir·s) aDd Thomas Uwi. (I IICntor put.fIa" It 1M Ia.. finn Simpson. Tluilcha. Ban.lal). For. IUmmar)' .ntl.IIII)'lis of 1M lCiti­rnony. 5CC the S... mmcT 1915 islueollbr !'ublitArt FUM Nrwtlm" b)' lIoc author. II ..ell asCOftICmpon" iu ...cs of narl)' III the Irt·

prrit'lliab.

1 This poonel was appoillied bylhe NEA III &lli:JttheCiS.\ in Iklennininllhe .pptOpriaWICII 01alle",:I1;"" lila for IJIr 5CIIlplllnt. P.nel _brn _ tile .rtisl Robrn Rymafl, tile .rclli­lCCU James 111(0 flftd ,toll JacquliJlr R~en-. I.....n blOl'i.. Suo HOIla-. Brc:nclaRichanbool (depuly dirraor 01 tile Baltimon:Mlllftmol Art)••1Id Joel Wadis lLoI AItIdeJcily COII.IICiImaIlI.

I FOt • discuAoA oIliIe Icpl nmiliatioas olthe csc.. KC Ba,ba... Hol'I"mall. 1ill.cd A~OII

lrial.~ ""hilt- An_""htit C_1'O'I1rr7y. N...VOI'k. 1911. FOI' a more lenenl discvuioll orthe "'11 iuues. sec; Johll Hen,y Merrymall.nd Alben E. Elsen. lJIw. E/1IIrJ. tJNI 111,Yil~." Am. Philadrlpllia. 1911. Mcrryma.1I1111«1 els.rwhe'c h.s Y;e'" Ihal the c:ase """rTil,,. A", "'U I ~nt·amcndmcnl ;s...,c we:M~'11rrl MOllrmall. -Are Encmies.~ An,...,..., IMay IU5l. p. 1l

3D2

~.'.~

- - '-

W;nlu/989

u • uli at IIIe CoUc:se "n Auoc:iat;oa unul_Iill' in HOIUt.. in 19" :lIll1esruioa -UIlCU)".......-

I UII(onuuldy. tbm ..as • tapw: 01 -. tm

"ran brl..·r= Ihr tilnr 0I1be: _plc:1dl 0I1hrbuild;II, ."d Ibr Kkctiol> of 11M. $C1ilpc~nt.~,""bda5. Jc.pb CoiL OK 01 tbr proJrCt• rellltceu. _as po-. Me",brn 01 Uor "'Olinsp'nd .-.=$UPRC DdrhalllY. lba>di~of11M: NeubrflU Maeum. Purchase. NY; InLicl\l It- DitcaOr 01 lbe: L.--= Mu.Il:\Itn..Uni~IY of MiaJni:.nd Robrn J'jIlQl$-W;I'1m • N,.. Yori-burd an ailic .nd anhist~n. Thlli oar trIrmbr'r or 11M: sdc:d.ionp'nd ...s frorll N_ York.. ....t lhe ,nillchosen lived c:loM 10 Ibr sileo The)'. too, were

mnnlxn oIlllo: leal community.

'-

'-- '"

200

" ,-

F"

Fig.5 Federal Plaza. Ne'<lI York City, GSA planter.

_:1£-Fir, 4 Federal Plaza. New York City. GSA benches_

N«nibr Ofiainal YCDioD 01 lJIis arUde was pntsatlrd

sioned under tbe auspices of the govern­menL officially became the enemy of the

peoot<"The mandate of GSA's percent-for-

art legislation was to pla~ .an in con­junaion with federal buildings.. Whatan is there in Federal Plaza now'! Is aUGSA~missioned public an now atthe mercy of GSA's politically a~

pointed regional administratorS'! In tbefuture will GSA commisston permanentpublic art '! Who will cboose it andhow'!

Glass and Alvin Lucier offered to ~­form tbeir works in the plan. Luaereven OCK'Iducted a study of tbe effect O!the sculpture on sound and found. Itquite favor.ab1e. The perfonna.ncc arustJoan Jonas remarked that the s.cuIptlU"ecreated a "natural amphitbc:ater" thatwould be an ideal sellina for her wort.Ironically, the noise factor in the ftcip­borhood is such tbat witbout TUrd Art'the piau will actuallY' be less suitablefor performances and concerts.

What became clear in the Tilted Arccontroveny was that different crit~were applied to' museum and publicart.D Serra was severely criticized fordoinl in a public place wbat he had bc:c;ndoing previously with s~t s.uccess I!,various art spaces. What 1$ different ~the physical CQQtext in which the work 1$

seen and the public's expectations.. Theformet is more complex and must beconsidered in all iu ramificatioDS; thelaner may be addressed !-hroug~ initialmcetinp and consultauens With ~ecommunity and by permanent public­education programs. .

Must the most powerful an apen­ences still be reserved for museumspaces and therefore pri~rily e;liteaudiences'! tr TUud Arc was lmposslbleat Federal Plaza, are we to concludethat there is no room for a pure anupcrience in the public spaces of whatis still considered one of tbe maJOf ancentcn of the Western 1il'Of1d'! Thisraises issues or urban plannias anddesign. aad indeed many artists todayare addressin& tha5c coucems..

Good art aDd cood public an are notnecessarily synonymous.D but the.samestringent criteria need to be apphed toboth. Any time art· con~ are I~than primary, we end up with somethlllSthat is not primarily art and then weshall all-the art, the public. and his~ry-bc the poorer for it.

Epitaph: During the summer of 1989,after the destruction of Tiltrd Art'. tbefountain was reactivated bricfty andFederal Plua was furnished with a fewbenches and planten ordered from astaoc1ud federal purchasiftJ catalozue(Tip. 4.u 5).lfladditi04. tocdcbrateGSA's fortieth annivcnary. a summerc:ona:rt series was intrOduced.. AD theseadditions.-ould have becfl pOlSibk withTilud An- in place..

On July 6, 1989, there was a "specialrededication of Federal Plaza." WilliamDiamond. Regtonal Administrator, whowas the host of the event, announced: ..1twill be a real pleasure to celebrate thisanniversary witb the opening of this

'concen series and the return of FederalPlaza to the local workers and people ofthis community." Thus an. commis-

Conserving Siqueiros' Neglected Masterpiece

America Tropicalrtprinra/frtJm CONHRVATIPN. THE Gel NEWSLETTER

Volume: IX Number II Wrinm byJ4frg Lnnn

wirh :In Amerian C:lgle :lNwe him. In Iht

uprc:r ligJu.hand cornel of [he nlUf:11. I\\"O

f("\"Olurioll:lr~' solJiC'ls were Jepicled. onc

poinring his rille.11 thc C'a!!k

The work "':1.' lln,'Cilcd Oclober 9. 19.1:·

\'(111:n rhe <offi,l,lin!! canle down, 8 onlook·

en psrcJ." lerouc:J I\lilliel in the ·Tim...'.

-No one hm thC' amllllr had I:>ccn :lhle III

,·isuali7.C rhc cl(>~c·knir powerful design ~(>

rounded hy 1':lln1$ ;md p:HrOr$. \\'ho:r~' rho: fruit \'oluotJlilr

(lcI:lcl1('(1 if,,,df m r.,ll inu' tr.c n"'lllhs ,.f {I,,' h~rpr 1l11>rf:lr,,"

1-I(I\\'e,·('r. for mmr of du' \\'cd;s rh:u :->i(ll1eil(>$ :lnJ his r\,,:\nI

of ;ts~i."t;tnfS bl>oreJ \'" ill\' I1Hlr:l!. til\' \\"tlrk'~ \·tmral im:l~c

remaineJ Unp;t;nted and the :lffiot'.' uhinl:llC il\lenr unc!ur.

Then. a.o Millicr rcroffS, rhe \lar Nolnrc rill;' $CllcJulcJ \1O\'o:il­

in~. Si1lutiros senr e"errone I,onle and worked through rhe

ni{l.hr ro complele rill;' mUr3rS main ligme.

Set in fronl rtf:l l\b~":\,like pyr:lnlid. he

\\";lJ an Inui:lo cnu:ilieJ on a double croo~

......" ............

At about an hour pa~1 miJni~ht ('rI an Ono!xr nij;h! in 19P.

Arthur Millier, art critic fm tilt: 1./11 AI/ttlt1 1illln. wanJ<'n;"l1

through Ol~'cu SHeeT in unwnlOwn I.cl~ Angclcs. The-re hl'

('IUl'ld Muil'an artist OJ"id AI(aro SiClltciros. sinin!;: nn :I .~caf­

fold. ·sweating in an undmhin w ;nd Mpainting fo! J~r li~.M

Siquciros was sttu~ling 10 finish his largcH worlc ,tince: he

had uri"ed in Iht city arliC'r in rht ynr. It Wal :l 14,-h~'·S.48.

meter (So.br-18-food mural. .liw:lrro on the

ouuidc: s«ond.nol')' walt of Okcr:I 5trttt's

ltili..." Hall.

The mural had been commiuionc:d br

pller}' owntl' F. K. F«ena of the: Pbu An

Center, who innructcd Ih:1t ilS theme: be

·lropial Amcrica,w Siqucilos _ a partici.

pant in the Maion RC'\"OllHion and a so­

soncd Comnmoul r.1rl~· o'1!~nizer who had

juu spent a yeal in r..kxioo pri.<,on for his

acti"idcs _ had no intention. he bref said.

of painling ~a (ontinent of h~pp~' men. sur.

,

II!

~,<,,i

Th~ first pha~c of the: nllual'5 cnn$cn'alinn heg.an in 1990.

Mexican cnn$ClI':\tnT:f; Agu$rin :lnd Cl1:ili'l E<pino!t:l J,C:lded Ihe

nnL't(t\,:\riUII 1....~I1\. ;I<:<i~ll"" h.,' IWu ~Hltklll$ frum li't· "~lll p"illf.

inp conscn'atinn Ir;tinin~ pr''Fl'3m (If the ('.oun~uld Institute

of Alt in l.flndnn. (h'ct Ihe C",UI"$C (If Je\'Cr:l1 monlhs. th~ tnnl

rem('l\n!the rem:aining white (':lim f",nl ,he mural. c1C':1ned and

coruoJid:lll:d tM p~intinE: I~yt'r. :md rC:llmhtd looscntd cemem

plasler 10 thc brick wall. Trace$ of a.<rhalr running :along Ihe

base of Ille painrin~ wetc: 31.'0 eliminalro.

In t.,·lay 1991 the: Institul~ in.nalled an e:n\'itonm~nlal moni­

I(lrint:- M;ttion x1ix'cnt m the 111111:11. rur t,\','r :I ~'t':1r ;ltItl a half.

the station mc:uurtd such f:K1olS a.' wind spttd .lnd direction.

ninfall, IC1TI!'Cr:lfl1re. humidin·. ;rnd Ihe ml'W('mtrll of .sunJichr" .

Kross th~ mur.lI·s surfacc_ '1l1C Jal~ foll«lal provided \':Jluabl~

infornl~tinn al>t'llll Cl1virOlltllenml cI,"llilil,n$ ~, tht nmral '0

win in the designill~ of:t ptotccti\'C sheh~r br AltOOn /!( Porrer.

a le:adin(!. Lns An~e1cs ~rcllitcctt1r;t1 Jiml wirh e~I'I("riel\c-e \\"OrkinE:

on historic Structures.

In the JPring. or 1994. the I,L"iltlle took ,m(lther RC'J' in iu

compreh~nsi\'e assessment of tht mural's condition. U.sin~ an

on·site di(!.il;ll imag.ing: syucm dNip:ne-d hy Etie Lange, a Fellow

at the Innirutc, del3iletl. hip:h.r~.soIUlitln im;rges of tht emire

mu.ral w~rC' e:tpturcd and $tortd on compule:r. LoII'Cr-resolution

ve:rsions of Ihese I~O indi"idua! ima~" were th~n ~moS.llice:d~

logcth~r to prO>·jtle a sin!lc im.age: of th~ complele mU1ll1 in irs

current Sl2te.

From the bC'g:inning: of Ihe: rrntrvation prog:ram. public

;rCCC:SS 10 the mllr:ll has bC'c-n a rrim3ry ohjecti\·e. An estinmed

l.S million people come 1(1 Oh'eT:l Snecl :tnnll;rlly. ~1any would

undoubledly Ol.ake th~ mural pUt of their "isit if access Wl':re

provided. AI Iht same: time. b~nose ofiu artistic and historic

you'Y(' got 10 do something 10 save it. ,,. jnining forcec with mh·

en already working for Ih~ mural's preservation. sh~ sou~hl

:chnical assist3nce: :and resOutC~ to 5.lve wh~1 rcmained. Bm

despite a growing illt~r~1 in Ihe mural by [he city's Mellie:,"­

American communiI)'. linancial support for iu COllscn·.ltion ail.!

not materialiu-. 8eouse o( the lack of funds, no preserv;1tion

mca.surt'll were !:Iken Other dun cte'Cting :l rrotC'CtWe plywood

shed around th~ munl.

In 1987 Ms. Poole met with Ihen-GellY Con~crvation

Insr1tutt Director Luis Monre:al and Sf>C'Ci.l1 Proje:eu Dircctor

_ now Institute DitcCtor - Miguel Angel Cono, to disc,w

AmfrUn Tropi(ll/. MT. Cono• .a natiy~ of Moico Cil)' who gmv

up seeing the murals of 5ique:iros. Rivera. ~nd Orozco. had

"iewed Amm~. TlT)p;~a/for the first time: jUSt.a few mondu cu­

Iier. -I w::n tc:Illy app:llled Ihat nothin~ had hem d"ne Tn C(ln·

sem: it.~ he reaIJed. MThere $CCmed to be no KJUC' of respect

for the wotk of art, which wa.. vcry 5:lddening.· Iket\l~ of the

mural'S aesthetic a'nd symbolic l':alue, h~ felt snongl,. Ihat rhe

lnstinHe should get involved.

Lattr Ihat )·eu. David Scon and Michael Schilling of the

Institute's Scientific Program ruuk p:;Iint samples fmm the sile

.and prep:ared .lin .lnalrsis of Ihe p:rinl pigm~nu used in rh~

HIrai. SubsequC'nt analysis of a sampl~ rcmo\'Cd from th~ sile in

1971 indic.ated Ihat the p:aint'$ bindet ....·as plobabl~' cellulosc

niu.ale. The e:ltposure to direct sunlight and pollution of a

binder consisting of ce:J1ulos~ nitrate. ov~r a period of many

)'C':IlS. 'vould significantly contribut~ to Ih~ d~tc:rioration of the

moral's painting I.lr~l.

In 1988 the Institute offici.ally joined with EI Po~blo Park

and the Friends of Ihe Arts of MCllico Foundation to undenakc

the mural's rescue:. Afl~r consuhuion with conscrvators and

engin~rs, a comprehensive progr:lm for S2vingAmlri(17 Tropiml

was developed. -

""', .': "', :~ .:.,..',"',--"""~"".

....... " ... !. '. '." '" ''' ......: '"'' ,,;,"f ~,,:·:·i·.,; .

'"..... :... ,.. \ ......~I· , ':" .

Th I'e ICC InltlUC$ and lIIatl·rial., l·rtIl'lurnl in the neatiull of

Amlr;c17 Tmp;c171 Siqlleiro$ fir$1 Iried 0111 ~ver,' w-'-- I" "fi .• HItJI ear ler Ina TescO cl:t:u ',e rallght :I.t Chouinard Art School. Ol'er a'tll'fl.

we:ek perind, he and his $Uulerou r:linted ur(ln one of Ih

school's walls an oOldoor munJ called StrUt }.fut;/Il. {Tni:mur;tl too ~ b' f• . an 0 1«1 0 contr(\'l:e~' :md ulrim;uel~' e(\'l'C!l'd

over.} In prep.aration for th~ mur.rl. a pneum.atie drill "":l$ ustd

tn mughen the 11':111 $urf.1ce and ,il'e crealer ~dh-',-" 1I' " . ,~ .. I(lilt\\' lite ce~e:nt on which the nlural W:l~ p:linred. Becauu the

cement dried rnridly. Siqlleiros ustd :In :rirbrush elH~n$i\'C"· In

:rrplrin~ painr. •

A simil.lt :rppro:lch "':1$ utiliud in th~ nl:lkin" of ~ ..Ti . ~ :- ,,111(7'C<1

f'tt/,u17l r:rom here: Siqueims l:lIC'r $;lid (If h,", _....;. "',-•..nlenl;t.1T0n on the mural, ~alJ m~' methods chan~ed on the road 10 .a

moc.lern lechnoIO{:~· fflr wei:ll O1O<,I,.,n :III.~

ThC' ardn no doubt hopc:d thalth~ e~perimental melhodolo­

~. wlluld r""'~' II hi· I d'-'111'3 L II l'n•. ,lIll' ~·"""'IIlI'''r.'It~· l'C\'iC1\' (Ifth~ mur.d concluded Ih:rl ~r;tins will n--·, h" "

• • ... '" \':15 It on. nor sua.1,m Its: dC'l:lils. for it i. eement!~

1Tim~ did nOI eonfirm Ihis apPr:lis:alln IhC' deodes thaI foI--

OW«! " "11$ cratlon .and cOl'ering O\'"(t. the: mur.t1 disr'.al·ed the

dTeets of sun, rain, sm~. and (';1nhquakrs. The paind~g lal'n

~ne::llh the white painr began to detC'riorate :as the white p.l~nt

lIsdf slowl~' .e:roded. In rl:tces the mural fadC'd and pcel«l.

Ponions of the pl:lSlct ST.alled delachin8 from the "':Ill. Due 10

the high le\·d of rullution in the are:r. the: mural's surface

MC'am~ CD;lted in dirt.

In Ihe orl)' 19iOJ.. art hinori3n Dr. Shifra Goldnun .lnd Los

Angelcs filmmaker jNUs 5.:r.h':\dot Tm'ilio spt;1rhc:rded rht fim

all~mpls to pres~tl'e rht mural. Srinlllbttd bv their ~rrorrs.

5iqueiros himself mad~ pbns 10 paint a rtpli~ of the c~nlral

portion of the mural on.a se:ria of w-_.J," 1 '" h c_• "CQU p:;Ine: s. wnlC lilt'

Intended to prescnt to Iht cir\' of los An-t-. U ,- d _c__ f>''''~' nronun:tt )'. <no:

artist died in j:lnll;\n' '.- u_ h 1. ,4· uc;rore I e r:rnC' s 1I'C'f( compkud.

In 1977 )can BnlCe Pool~ jointd rhe: .mfT of EI Pucblo Park.

rhe city agencr that lodar :ldnlinisrers the: historic illock of

building~ on Oh'e1'3 5t "- h k" "ree:1. ru t e p3r s $enlor cur:lIor. 1I.'is.

,POOlc was $urpriJ.cd to learn of tht mural's ~:ltisttnce. ~I said,

Look. ~"Ou\·t gOt a m~<reTpiece: hC're. Irs .In absolure out~

I..~--:'" /,'.,••., •• ' " ...

.....;..• "i '/.

long~cd and concc:akd by thmc K'3ffiNds. -

. For.2 number of Ihe city's ,mistS. induJin(: those who Iuda5StSr~ Stquciros with the 1 h ""mura, I C WOn. w:u trt'm(ndoll.~h'

exciting. "It had gulS in il,- r~lkd ClnC over 40 }~~ bu:r. airmade everything dsc 31 the rime look like a",'y c orr. uox I ll.~n·~.

lions. Many of the :Hlim ,~aid 'My Cond' Th,", ", d r 1• • '. • I. won cr \I

vocabubf)" 'M

Such cnth:siU~ was ~Ol unil-erul. 'While acknowltdlting

~hc: mural u an Inlcremnlt uperimc:nt.- nne ~vit'U· uktd

Why get hysu:rial about Mexican Ut~ Why ",m", " d.... Dec II an

..dopt it in our own counlf)'. wh<>$e tl'ildiriolU <lire entireh- alien

10 il all?- The revi~r r1adcd In "keep rhC' Mellie:," m'tltif in

thc: Mexia" quancr.-

The negative rc:aclio d'd d"n I nOI en with crmcl~m of themural's aesthetic ,u........u I r' Jr-· . U po ItlCa coruen[ prompll:d nUfr.agc

from some of the city's civic; I~Jel"J. indudin~ tho.q- who hadcsu:blishtd Olver;t St ., "rttt aJ ;1 IV olcan m.lrkelpl.lce two nars

urlier. Not lon.g .l(ler the mur.ll's compll':tion, Fl':Iena' was

(orCl':d to COVl':r over thl': mon visible Ihird with white paint.

Some )'l':2lS laler, the enlire mU1'.l1 was p.linl«l over.

The COntroversy did liltle (or Siqueiros' political st;tndin~ in

the United States. A renewal of his six-monlh "isa w~ rehL~,

and he was fom:d 10 10."C tht count!')·. But Iht epi~t bv no

means brought a h.llr to 5iqueiroi arttr. His n:uure as an ~rrin

continutd 10 grflw, and toda)' he is known ::u one of Ihe tri­

umvirate of Mc:o:ian mur.rJisu. aJon~ wilh Diego Ri\'er:l and

jose Clemtntt Orolco, who Teawakentd the world to Ihe

dyn.lmic possibilities of mur.rl an.

As fOl Amir;c" Tmp;cttl_ :lS Ihe nlUDI is now known _ it

"';IS fOrgonen for dee:tdes. Ie:ft ro bnguish in the nmn, So hr_I'C_ UI CTn,,-,"In;lmi:asun Inlh r1. - h'. . e (':I } 19,05. I e rrlSl dfolu 10 pracrve Ihe:now-fadIng m.1.'le'Pi« I.-- b" ". e ....D',n. III II ~'n I umil Ihe lale: 19805

Ihal, with the: .l$.~inance of rhe: Geuy Constr\'ation InnilUre,

Jubsranli.ll Stern wne raken to sa\'C tht only survi\'ing puhlic

mural by Si'lueir..~ in rhe Uni,~-d 5rnrCll.

'._- J au:-=: "'1, 1 '1'7JL

C t994 The Getry ConKf\-:trion InstilUte-

"SO} Glencoe Avenue. ~·larina dC'i Re~" C:llifornia 9°291

Phone ()IO) 8U-1299. Fa.~ <,uo) 821-9-109

urban endronnltnl in which di..tr~ilr i~ :l ~lIrct nf ~"cn~lh

rarher than of connicl. W

Afi:C"r o,'el sixrr ~"C":It~ of cxi~rtnce, "/m;,-;e,I Trt/pifi/! toJ:lY

tr:tnscends the comro\"Cr~y Ih:1t accomr:lnitd in binh. ~h'~ a

uni,'C~1 \\'ork of arr,w J:I~"S ~ ligucl AIl~d Cono. ~h rerrcsents :l

social SlnlU;lt which \\~ all (;1.n undcnt:lnd now, h's:z munl f(lr

the whole city. W

ll"..d I'llhlic ">lIr:lI~. Ir.( 1,):;Jl.:~· ill pill-Ii,' ;Irl. ,k'l'il" il.' 11<';\1·

mc:nt. i~ c"n~iller2ble.

'11", l:"..n~·n.";Iti.." ..f Ilk" nllff.ll :lml ill 1'\'111," I.. pu"Iil:" \ i,...,·,

Mr. (;:11"',' 1>,·lil""'ll, '";In !I<"I' 11<~11.li.·i,i ..,,( wilhin ,hI' ""llOI'''1nit)'. -'Il,e I'tlliri'':ll :1Il11 Slll.'i:l1 i~'\Il'll Ill<" 1Ill1rJI w Jr:lll1:lli"ally

Jepicts c-ng:age all of us,~ he mlSCr,·a. ~The prOt:cs~ of cume-f\'_

in!!: Am&im TTtJpifill ~ive-, rhnse- in our community rh.ll r:lre

"pporlunity 1(1 f:.et 1(1 krKn\' .tIl,' an"ll,<,r h.·llCr.-

This, :IS much :L~ an~'thing. rt)rn'~ the ba~i~ for the <';CH~'

ConSCrv:lrinn InsritUle's in\"Oh~ll1em in Ihe rroiC'C"I, A. H;lt('l1J

\'('iJ!iams, Precidem ('If rhe Gc-ny TnlSl. h:zs ,lccl:lrcd, rhc Tf\ln',

long-Ierm goal~ in its honle community include ~Cfc:arin(:. ans.lIIct:. ImpurlJn[ innov:ltiuns of this period included the­dcyclopment of J rJynamic pictoriJI surfJCe for the mOYingspcct:Hor, <lnd c.~pcrimcn(atiun with Ceml.·rH and the ..irbrushfor fresco i1pplication~,innOY..tions that resulted (rom tht:desire to create c.xterior murals "beneath the sun. beneath therolin, facinl the slrcct" and the p:tssing multitudes-and wetetremendously conscquenti:1I for his mature work. "

As the third major McxiC<ln muralist to come to the UniledStatcs, Siquciros h.K1 been preccded by lose Clemente Orol:Co.who had polintecJ his nlunumenlJI fresco Pronlt'lhtuS illPomon.. Collell:, Clarcmunl. in 1930, h"d completed ;t seriesof murods in the New School for Sod:d R~rdl in New York,and had just been commissinncd to do the Ireat mural cycle 3tD.lrtmouth Cn/lege, N,'W Hampshire, during the time SiqueirO$W,l~ ill ln~ AIlJ.;c1I.'S. Dil,."gu Rivera h;ld p;linled nlufills at the~u Fr,l.ncil<l.::1I Slud: Exch.I1lI."C. thc C"lifurnw Setw..1 uf FineArb,' .lIld a private horne:, ;1m! had b''"'1 cUlllnJiuiuncd to duThl! PorlfIJil of Dclroil by the: Detroil Inslitule of Finr ArlS..The fiUTlous "b.ltIle of Rockefeller Ccnler"'which termin:alcdin the destructiun of River.. 's mur<ll was nut 10 occur unW thefollowing yur; however, it. a.lonB with the almost simulliltte­ous desllUction of Siqueiros' muntJs, seemed to rener:t a shiftloward the ristlt in the political CUf1"Cnts of the day,ConUOYCTsy ha.d surrounded, and continued to surroUnd. the:activities of all Ihr~ muralists. J One PJnicul",rly blalantex..mplc of proviOl.::ialism and chauvinism is the following:"Mexic<ln art in Mexico is inrJiscnuus and entirely appropriate;... they like the ~phk dclineation of suffering and .:tgony;they sympathile Wilh and cherish the old pagan, primitivereligions which look bloody sacrifices and required strange andphysic<ll rites," TIle wriler could not understmd why we"should imit:lle it J.nd adopt if in our counlry whose uJdltionsarc entirely alien to it ..II" or "put it on the wJlb of VIeduCiltional institution Ireferring to Qlouinard Art School)where youth is imbibing its inspinttions and id~s for life-" orm;lke it parl of "our national expression when it is not andnever can be." Ironically the article recognized Olver;!; Street ISthe place "where the old Mexican beginnings of los Ang,:lesarc cherished"!·

Siquciros' politicoJl .Inti oJrtistic baptism slilrt,'d lung beforehis trip to Los Angeles. At I S he piltticip<lted in .. studentstrike at the San C.."ios AcJdemy in Mexico dl.'m.indina: olnab"ndonme-nt of outmoded methods of Jf[ inslfuc::tion. He­KNed as .:In officer in the Mexic:m revolution before saing tostudy in Europe. In 1922 he beome a principoll orpniler ofthe Syndicate of Tce:hniCoJI W()(kers. Painters, and Sculpl()(S

•

Siqueiros and Three Early Muralsin Los AngelesSHIFAA M. GOLDMAN

A vi~un of urin Amcric.J 01) ~ trepic:ll pJ.T;ldise- wh,"e hiIPPYmQrtals Ii.: benl:J.lh palm to.'CS wh~' fruih drop of their ownJC(utd into w..iling mouths mJy hilvr: enc;hJ.lllcd Amcric.lns 00

the northern side of the Rio GrJnde. but it was no part of the"i~on of Mexican mur.t1ist O..vid Alf..ro Siqueiros when heumc 10 Los Anltlcs u OJ political rcfu~ in May 1932.'Ou1ing that "isit he painled three mur.lls in diff~nt locJtiom,f the city. of which only one exislS intact today. The l'*'lest,f lhe thra:, Tropko! Aml!fit"u, painted on the second,story;MJhide wall uf a building in Ol~r.1 Str,'Ct (uriBin.l! ~le uf Ihc:.ity) h..s ~lmO\t CUfnpletdy rJiQppc.t".'d bcne;,rth the CO;tlS ofMhitCW".bh appli,'d in 1932 ~nd 1934, ilnd thc exposure "ndlCJ!cet of OYer 40 )"CoIrs. Dcspile lhe thOU501ndS of louriSlJ who~sit hisluric Olvcr;, Street :rnnuJlIy. the very knowledse of thenurJl'~ <,:\,i\I~'l'~\' h,ld .d:nlt'ol v,lI1r.h,'lI utllil neW inte"..,.t w....~ner.,JI,'d hy pl.m\ I" h,IV,' 111\· lIIur.11 ""llN,-rJ \.l.·~1.11 Yl·.,Jr\

su.'Inteml ill p.....~ibh: "'!ohK"dliun wor.. nolliunwitle but nt1WhCfe

o stroo~ ,1\ in thc lolr~ Mexic,rn·Af\I,.,ican community ur lU'l\ngcl,'S, particulolrly sim.::c lhc~ are the unly murAls Siqucirusvcr painted in the United S\.ott('). What were the circumstancesurrounding the creation of the- outdoor muralsStreel Meelingnd Tropicul America? Of the existing pri'lOltC"fy owned muntl'oflmlr of M~x!co Today? Why were the former twonuoycd? What did they look like oriainally? Theseuestions-and thc implic.lIions inherent in the existence Jndtstruction of the murals- hJlfe b<.'Cume preuinaly lupiColI'hen one con5idcrs the current sc.Jrch (If the Chiano in thelUthwest for self.identity, .1 politiul voice, ..nd ccunomic!Stice, thinSS which were of profound conCCfn to the ..nisthen he crcJted hi5 murals. For the ¥rowin~ Chicano ano~ment, the a,'Slhetics of Me)lican mur.tlism .:ocxist withIe most aVJnt-&.lrde manifC\utions to express the particulJr'e expericnct of the urban Qlkana.A more gcne~l. but equally urlent, imperati"e to reclaimesC" murJ.h for the history of art is the splendid pictorialla!i[iC5 of Tropicu! Amulca, lost to sight fur ..Imost 01 h.Mntury.'The three mur.lls marked an imporLlnt lurninl point inquciros' d,'Velopment. They mark the- release 3nd outpOuringa I.lrgc cre.l:tive wetlY denied walls to pAint on for almost

I years. In this first encounter with the IreJt industrial;ources of the United St.lte:>, his search for J. new VI styleprcssive of his rcvolutioo..ry ideah was aUlrllentcd by:hnical mCJns to change the methodology of mur31ismelf_a methodology that had been fi)led since the Renais-

,. I ....... I .:-:....~, ...

~" . 'n·' .: ... " ..• '. ,

.......',--"

1HEGmYCONSERVATION

INSTffiITE

impornncc _ .lind it~ signifiancl.: Il'l Ihe ciry's brse Me,iC:In'

Amerion popubrion _ Aminr" T",pi(lfl h:L~ Ihe potend~1 to

I~w new "WtO!ll ofiuown.

Scveral major 'IC:P! Tc:main J,ef.. rt· puhlic :lCl.:C'S-~ C:ln he

achic:ved. The first is rhe seismic st2biliulion of Ihe Italian H.lIII

and 2djacc:nt buildings. This work is scheduled 10 51:1" in I'}9S·

In addition, plans arc being developed for a permanent

mu~1 sheher, a public \'iewing pbtfonn. anti a hisloric:al infor­

madon area thar can providc: visitors wirh a eonlCJ(( for viewing

the mural:The Institute, togethC:f wilh orher organiurions. will

tach out to the public and pri~Ie sectors to undel'Wfite the

cost of constructing the mural sheln:l and the public Un!·

Once :I shellef is in$lallcd. lhe mural's final daning. nabiliu­

tion. and eonsoliduion can proceed.

This lasr effnn will nol. unfortunately. return Am/rit'.,

TrtJpi(,,! 10 its original glo~" The pfOblematie narun: of Ihe

maf(:rial~ used in iu crcatiun. curnhinc:d with yc:afll IIf tlc:rl"f:lhlc

ci"ie n~lcct, h.llve left the Siqueiros maJlerpicce a sh:ldow of its

original incarnalion. Much of in CIllur is 8"ne.

Nevnthelcu. the anistic pow~r of the work remains. "You'vc

onl~' got to look at that mural 10 $I:'( Ihe st!tnglh in the ~inring.~

sa)'! Jean Bruce Poole, "Even Dded. it is Slill immensely snong. ~

Ms. Poole, now direcror of EI Pueblo's HiSlorie Museum.

bcIi(VC! that even in irs present condilion. the mural is "telling a

story.~ one of political conrro\'CrJY and arristK expression, ~The

mural is rremendously importanr bcall\( il's pan of the city's

histo~·. ~ she c:xplailU' -E,'Cn Ihe fact that ils oon so badl}' tmt·

cd is pall of rhe hiJtory.~

Luis Garn. the InSlilute's eonsulr.llnl coordinator fOl rhe

mural project. :zgrccs. "All/trial Tmpi(i1! 1t15 come 10 epilomiu:

rhe hinorical minre3.tmenl of 2rt,~ he !:l)"S. Seeing the mural :u

it is today vividly demonstrates ,~hat is lost by such mime:n­

menl. Irs destruction by civic lcadc:l'$ provides a contemporary

lesson in the consequences of intolerance.

However, :zs he 21so poinn OUt. the mural is much more

than a symbol of arrisric censorship :znd prejudice. Am/rirlf

TrppiraJ ptofoundly inAuenccd the mural movement so inler­

,voven into loday's Los Angeles. :z city with over fihccn hun-

IMMER '974 321

" ..~ ,-.r /

whkh spolrkctl the mur,ll rcnJj~'ancc. and W,1\ olUlhnr of it,~njrcSIO which h.lilcd lh~' Indi.1n suldier ...mn .:"vc his life "inhope of libc:ralin, your r.1(;(' from the dqrOldJlinn ..nd mi~ry

of ccnlurin.·· Siqudros hold ..Iwotys cOluidcrc:d his OIfl .JI

political I~ ,1nd ;I ¥t"hiclc of revoluliOl1ary thought. withconcrpt, ill..cp.•fJblc from .' ....uhclfn: ." .• lhe mollc" ofh'...II1!r." hl' '-lid in thr m.::lnifcstu, "mU't in~t their CfutCS!t'l fnn, ill Ihe ,lim Qr nlJ tcd,lIilinc ':In .ut villu.,hk to thepl."'!>!':," wilb "bc;IUIV thol' enlightens and slin In "ruggle:"i\lmU\1 30 }"Col" 1.lI1M" he W,1\ of the same opinion: "My mur;aJITropicuf ..lmt'ri.... / W.lS the mural of a p;ainlef who hOld foushtin the rc:volUlil>n:'" It is within this context Ih.11 the 1932mUfJI, mt'" toe undCfilllOd. '1 forms the buis fOf his pl,"licC'~prC'S'linr:, (0( hi, CCJSC'lcss tcchnic:al olnd aesthetic experi·menu lion to cre"te 41 t~nsform.illion of pictorial techniquecon~on4lnt wilh his· views of the soci.,1 ;lind scientificdM"elopmcnu of "ur time.

In 1932 thr United SUtts was in the throes of the JfCOIItdepression. Los Anac1es was a city of a.er two million p«lpleetnCrtinl from its rur;,1 Sl4ltus under the imp4ict of its mostimPOl'Unl indl1Srric:s: 4llrieultUrt, oil. ;,net the movies. Politics~re hiaflly pol:irized 41nd volatile. Upton Sincl4lir. the Soci;,liS!and Communist p"lties, and mc:mbm of the movie colonyprovided a fulcrum of left.winl activities. labor connict waswidespread and ohen violent, particularly in the richavicultur"l Impc:ri;lll V4IIIey where many Mexicans Wert!employed. los Anlcles (unlike San F~ncisco) was anmtiunion town: it boasted a police ;IInti·Red Squ-' Jed by 41upuin Hynes: its constituency included thOUQnds of retiredold people who were impoverished by the depression butremained set in their political conservatism. 'J In the months ofSiqueiros' )uy, Los Anleles newspapers renected the tremen·dOus difficulties and confrontations of the period: the HynesRed SquJd prohibited a sPeech by the Communist presidenti411andidate; 41 "slave block" auction, sellinl the labor ofunemployed citiuns to the hilhcst bidders, was held in a localparL:; the unemployed panned exh"usted BOld deposits in SanFrancisco slteams; the pernment investipted the vastholdinp of the J. P. Mor;an empire.'

Of panicuur silnificance 10 Ihe aniS!, and of direct import10 hi~ choice of a theme for Tropical Am~rica, were the massdeport;ltioos of MexicOln n'llionOlls· and the wretched con­dilions of Mexican milr;Hory worken whose efforlS toorpnize for collective lur;aininl were rClX'"tedly crushed byvisil;mles and repressive 100ws. I 0 There is Iitlh.' doubt th"t u\('or thi~ Iheme- nril..inll~· repeoated throughout tht' southweslIUc"'y contrihutt'd to Siquc:iros' nwn expulsion when hissix·month vi~a expired. I I

Word of Siqueiros' prescntt quickly spread {with Ihe aid ofMexican "rtists Alfredo Ramos M"rtinez oand Luis Aren,,11 inIhe \mJII, tightly knit lex Anlelcs "n world. Jo~ vonSternlx1'l, n:1lTlboy4lnt director of the: movie Th~ Blu~ A1'9t'I,patron of artists, and cnllector "of the mOSI violent modem"tt;' helped him bring hi, de:14lined p.:.inlings OIM lithOiraph\xross lhe hordl't, and (lllllmi~sionedhi, first p.Jrtr"iL Po/.intWin Sternberg's office '" P.lramounl Siudios on 40" .II 48"COJr\(' C,ln\'J' with qU.lr1 e.lns uf paint JnJ hou~l·p.1inl brushC"i,it \hl') C'd "von Swrnbl"tg o/.t hti d("jk, lilly, inlent, commal')J·ing yet curiousl~· .•. lil..e him."I: On MolY 91h an t"xhibi·liun of SiquC'irO'i lilhnxr..ph~ ClpCned 011 IhC' IJL:t" ZeitlinBookshop in dnwnl,,\vn I...,.. ~ldt"~ ,md, fnur dJv~ IOIler, 50

322

. .r'lOIin1inS', lithugraph" ;Ind murJI d.:siln, were exhihiled in IIStl'ndJhl AmhJ~\,1dor GJlkr~·.1.1

Siqueiro-' worL: of Ihe precedinll"t'riod (1929.11)32) ..very doltl.. ,lnd almO'it d('¥oid of ColOf. "He felt tht" timM wt'

w bad ColOf should not be u'Cd." SOIYs Arthur "'illier. furmart critic of the Ll)f A'19C'/C's Timn.. U His paintinls ,n IStendJhl GJllery, wrote Millier in 1932, wt"re "d,lrk arunfr.:lmed. The mJ~~ive form~ 41l1d heads emerae rrom an .111,;

or blJel..ncn, The fir~t imprMsion is of brulJlily and d.lrkneof an absolute OIh\(l')ce of all 'charm,' uf th.1t ple<ls;lmOlnipul,}lion of pigmc:nl which i\ so silnificJnt 'or thl;" EftJ'iand Americ:tns. There is, ncverthelC'S~, something mot'(':broodinl senK' of tr4l~dy."I' The somber painlin,\ a\Otrowful whj~h did not reCllrnrnend thC'mwh-n tocrilies: the huge C1nV~S were felt to hOlve "primilive subitmatter" "irring ".:motions of revulsion, horror, ,\nd ottelemental feelinls equally unprofound." ThUU!1l COIrl lil~had written favor"bly of Siqueiros. SOlid Ihe scviewer, ~

found the '1ack of pleasil')1 color. slJrl..· outline, aunlexlurcd surbcC"S" wen~ di.stnteful. I' . ...:.

Then, 41S liter, Siqutitos w~s nOt SOItisfted wilh pOfIt~its",

e"scl p~intinlS; ht lonltd fOf walls. Even in his easel p4linlbhe used burlaplike canvas COOl ted with lime upon whichp"inted with ~ mixture of oil, lum, honey, OInd p.,int, whproduced a ~mifresco effect,l ~ The SCOile of Ihe fi,ures \enormou,. "bny I~ler Siqueiros works live this \,I

impression: figurC"S thrust from the wrface, their hulC' ..i,e:encrlY Sttminx to viol"te the fume as if sedinl ~ brcontext_

In eOlrty June ffollowinl 41n exhibition 41t the PiauCenttr and an honor"fl· dinner by the C4Ilifomia An CISiqueirex was contactC'd by MittOlrd Sheets, an imprc:s'youlil w4ltercolorist and a ChouinJrd Art School teorcher.conduct a fresco class. Amonl vJrious practice techniqtSiqueiros h~ tht Iroup make fresco p"ncl, of their (desjl", using plywood f,,,mcs and chicken wire cOVC'red ..layers of plHler. These were later exhibited 015 "fresco bkKlThe &toup wu composed of 10 professioml orrtists, ext:whom paid" S100 fee. As a result of Cubism, mO/ll'))" ani\t\become inlereSied in the Renaisunce, "nd no inform.1tionaV4liiabie "hout fresco except from the Mt,ican mur"li"who hOld re.-ived its pnctice (and th4lt of encaustic) 10~·urlier. By mid·June a w,,11 of Chouinard Art School,:l1So. Gr4lndvkw, had betn oblJintd hom Mrs. ""'--IbNlO1lXlinJrd "nc:I the 10 artists, ~ well a~ l"~u"le "n ulMknow d"il"Jted 415 Ihe Block of Mural Painter~ b~ SiquciIxl"n pJintins;, 19' II: 2.1' outdoor muroal CJlled Strat .tI,Tin the 'Culpture court of the school. "HC' worl....-d oul pihe4ld," recOlUs !o.1i11:trd Sheets, "very e:~citinl for ~ becau\!were "ccustomed to the ide" of a very finkhed ,I..elchS141rted at th(' top of the mur,,' ~nd worked his w"y d..,.-n

Within the unprecedentedly \hert time of two w('('l...sm4Jral WJ~ almost comr'ete, .....ilh the exception of thefillJre in the !o\vcr portion. On the opper porlion of !hI"which could be seen from Ihe strl"('t, were pJintt'd"Jffolds filtl'c1 wilh mJuive f'ilures of (on~truction wor"rm~ inlertwinc:d,lool..inl down\\'.ud inlenlt~', and c.1\linldJrl.. sh.ldtl.....~ Mlwr:C'n Ilu' windl)\\'~ which rierced .hequfJce. SI\'IKlicJlf), Ih.' CtJmJKKilion w~ ~lIl,"~~· rcI.JllIhe 193 I JIJinlil')1 A.I·id,·n{ in th.. ,11;11('. 1II Wh.ll weft

worker~ lunt.illJ: Jl~ Til whom wrrt" thC')' li~tl"nin~! Nt'

ART JOURNAL. XX).

, ..,,,..'" ~" OUhidr ... ,>11 ...ill> freKO. II ~ J ilIUM or llf. fe-,t"t.ne-" l.",,_r rhe- Ch(Ouin~rd Schoul de II. decor~lion. tlUIwll~l IU U'\e fo' "'u".... in thi<. be,ell pniod~ II nrnlnJ plhl,.. ~",~~,pe"le~ .nd c..",ent ",l~ert .... wril ~ .rll,.,•••• IOU desi.:n II..-ill ~ lrolliul M~'<leo, wilh Mn.n rUinl .nd • (ew tilurn. A.uth end uf Ille ..~ll ... iIl be ""'tn from lhe '11"" lKl.,., II i,pl,nned 10 Il'l»:e- ttl""" • Co>mplcle- picture;".1 Ihe » ..... tl",~

prhe'''';", • ~~ntUI unllr of dfl"n!'

To Sique:iros. an outdoor w"U in Olveroa SUCCi, IOCOlted in ap.1f\ 01 downtown Lt» Angeles then known as Sonora Town(be(JuSC' of ilS IJrxe Melti",n populOitionl. dusc to the nilru;K)lcrminoal and (ily HJII, literaUr avOlilable to the "now oftraffic and millions of people," must hOlYc: been e!>peciorllyutr.Jctive. Hl" quickly sil"C'd the contract. However, his vi\ionof Iropiul America differed shJrply from prcv"i1inl folkloric ~

ideas: inSlcad of p"intinl "01 continent of h.,pp)' men,WHounded by palms and parrots where the fruil voluntarilydet,)ched itself to f4l11 into the mouths of the h3PPY moruls,"he s:eid, "I p4linled a man ..• crucified on a double l;fOiS,which had, proudly perched on the lOP. the calle of NorthAmerican coins. ,,:.

Slarling in I4Ile AUlVst, work on Tropiull AmC'rKaconlinued for ovc:r " month. All ""counts alrce th"t Siqueirosdid mOSI of the paintinl himself, "s.silninlto his a~sisunlS thetuks of rOUlhinlthe' bricf..: surface with drills, Jpplylnl coatsof .....hile Port1~nd cement, squ,)rinl Ihe wall, blowinl up thede\ign for the finOll cJttoon, ~nd p"intinI5t"O~1Isections.:" Thed.:ty before the unveilinl the key f'ilUre ~s still a my'tery."AI"in," Solrs Millier, "'Tired. Let'~ "It 10 home.' At 1:00A.M. lh"t nilhl in 41 dead Olvera Strtcl I found Sil.1ueirO'iswe;'ling in oan undershirt in the cold Jir, silling on 01 ""ffold,pain linG for dear life Ihe peol') hound to a double cross.,,)I).

Greal crowds 4111ended Ihe unvtilil')l. Millier wrOle in theTiml",- "When Ihe scJrfoldinl finOlUy ",me down •.. 0l')looken1hpo,"CI. No one bUI Ihe Juthor hOld been oable 10 viqJalize theclO'oC·knit powerful desi!" so 1001 sh"ded and conce"Ied bylhLl\(' \",rrold\") I 'Fi8- 2). Not only w~ the wall much IJrgerthan Chouinard, but the concept had been expressed. with,re,ll cr.1rily in brillianl culnr. Ol"~pile Ihe wcher of bitlbOJrds,PU'lter\, slore fronlS, and las IJnks with which it had tocnm!'ICle, it would h<lve hOld no trrouble: :tllr.:rcling .Iltention.

Siqueiros' compnsition h;K) 10 deJI wilh ,a dUlJl" Jnd twoIT'l('I.ll·-hullered window, which peoctraled lhe WJ1I, forci"l: aVi~l oXymmetry. The ~I;uk tt,lmetrv of the MJyJ-lil..ePyumid uld IWO cylindrical ~lcl"e inscribed wilh feJlhl"l'

324

forms Jre counterpointed by Ire"l 1\\'I~lInl tn't... ,md Ih,curved blld~' of the IndiJn. Blocl..) 01 )lllne fJlten ftum th.·prnmid "nt! pre·Columbi.:ln sculplurC"S \{,lt1ered JnlOn~ lhl'trees spuk of the d~ ..tnJction of OIncit'lll Indi:tn civiliution,while the scrcOlminl e"lle with spreOld win:s dominJtcs thi,modern ulv,)ry. The Ir;K)itional spirit of pas~ivc Quisti"nmourninl is lortkin.. Two "rmcd snipers m..'llJCe lhe. C.lIIk'from the roof of oan Oidi.lcl"f'u buildinS. .

Centullo the desil" is the crucifixion iudf (Fis. 3) which'cstOiblishes t~e dyn"mic rhythm~ of the composition. We 41reuught by the circle circumscribed by the winlS of Ihe e~le,

Ihe spreJd arms, and Ihe luin cloth of Ihe Indi:tn (Fig. 4).SemicirculJr repetitions Jppear in ~e1I·like ~h;,pe~ on Ihep~'r4lmid, the sernicirclC' below Ihe ea,le, and the tono of theIndi"n. oand Jre reinforced by the ellipses of the sle\;ae. ThC'trunc"ted ~"pe of the pyr"mid is echoed in the geometricdements of the pytOlmid friele "nd the Indian's legS:.·

Of the three mur.,ls lhere is no doubt thilt Tropical Am«icuwas br fJr the mOit powerful and original and J cle4lrdep4lrture from eJrlier worL:. 1\ C"tablished Siqoeiros as ;,master of m(ll"lumenlJI form. Tropical AmC'rlca is the finalaffirmalion of the bre"k with "foll..lorism·' OInd "pictur.esqueness" "1trhich....suned with his mur.1s in the NJtion~

PrepantOty ~chuol in Me.ico. Speaking of the latter, butprophetic"Uy "pplic"ble to the Olvera Street mur4ll, lunChartot said, "Until the\( murals were done, lodi"nism hOldbnm synoo\'mous with fulklore or folk-an.••• Siqueiros wa'the first 10 erect a n"ked Indi"n body as rcrncwed frompicturesqueness "s a Greek nJL:t'd "thiele, a fiJUrc of oniverulmeaninl within its rOici,,1 univen.e...J :

Mon powerful of the innuencf>\ ,n wOfk in this p.,inlinl i:the BJroquc: ~t~'le, especiJllr admired hr the ;JrtiSl'S fJther.)~Sinuous forms, sculptur,,1 plankilr, stronl chi;JrO'iCuro, antdyn:tmic S9:tli"l r'lJoYC'ment, .It! mJrl.. the impJct of Ihe mosspeclJeul"r st~'le of coloni,,1 Ml',ico, Apre"rinl for the fintitn(' in this mural is " lc:it·molif of much later wOfL:: Ihreccssh'e prrOlmid.

ItJli"n Futori~1 theOfies such )S mutliple points of vit'w "npdun.:uic PC'f'pccti\"e (whi(h inl..TC"IC'd Sique:iros when hwenl to Europe' in 1919'J can be found in rropi1;ul,-lm"il"despitl" di"I.litners from the anist ~u(h ,,~ appeJred in Serif(\('(' rn. 25). Note the inleri.n rer~rect;ve of the r\·rami,including the ~lighl il')c1inc of bnlh 'id..... of Ihe bJSC crealirtW\l pl,lne~ which el1hJnce lhe pb~ticitr of.th\' form~ in ft\wor thl" Ivwcr p\l.lmid: thl' \',ll1i~hinl r,lints uf tht' std,U' .I"lhC' hoilding "f the snipc:'l1: Jnd tht" pcf'pa::civC' of the IJI'f'cn",i.. O)'nJmic (('11t.Jlio'" dlTh,' f,um tho.· rt))·thm, inclin.ltiuJnd movernl"Tll of eJt:h tlhk~l. TIl\' m~'hTi ..u~ t:urO'C'd ItKT

AF;T JOURNAL, XXX'"

• • •

......;~

.\

•

Today a whole new gencution of artists is demonsttat'int~'resl in Mexican mur"li...". Street muralsnmany shlhe innucnce or Siqueirm .md Orozco ··haye mushtoorrN.'w Yorlt. 80"100. Chic.lgl), Delroit. S,lnta Fe (New MeS.In F,.lnci"o. :.nd Lo~ Angele~. particularly in ehe.ghellm .Ind Puetlu Ric.1Il .1I1d Chic.lno bcJrrio~ Amor.IClive PJrlicip,lnl\ in Ihc'\(' pupulJr movements ~e fSil!udrfl' di"ipIC"'o:'·

The Cilv or l,><; Angdt" \V,,~ recenlly .lnimalcd b

known:lS Portrait of Mexico Toduy (originally Dclivt:ryofthc"k"ic"" 8our9t:oiJi~80rn of the Rtvo/ulioll into fh~ Hunds ofI",ptriulism). It was pninlcd in the (oy('red patio of Ihc SanuMonicOl home of movie director Dudley Murphy.'"' Dividingthe w.all surbet in thirds .m: 1'10'0 painted columns behindwhich appears the familiar rcccs\ivc pyr:.mid. On the steps arca child ,md two women (Fig. 7). app.1rcnlJy widows of theass~sinucd men POlintcd' on OJ contiguous '10'.,11 (Fig. 8). To theIdt of the pyrilmid is the \C:llcd ficurc of 01 rcvolutiOtlarysoldier. with sombrero :md riOe. whose fallen red mask r~ahthe (';;Iturcs of ror"rncr Mc:w,iun pn.·'idcnt PluLucho ElluDiles. Two bOigi of gold Oil his (ttl n:prc\Cn( thc bctrOllYOII ofthe MC;Jl:ican people (Fig. 9).

One on envi~ion the color pwperlie( of Tropicul Am~ricQby reference 10 the well.pre~ervedPar/rll;/ of Mt1licO Toduy.Blues. browns. greens. r~-ds. and yell'lw nchrcs cnh.lnce lhesculpturally modeled abHracled rigu,.e~. n,ough nOl .JSdyn.lmic .. compo~ition as Tropical Americu (Ihe ~ile is only172 ~uarc reel). lhc 5.,"1.) MllnicOl rnur.11 en.linl.lins a lineb.Jl"nce between bMrJQUC ~inuosilv and g...umetric Uructurc:.PJrlicubrly puign.:tnl and rh"'lhmic .In· Ihe IHlri,onl,,1 liguresof thc: lwu dead men.

-~f._ 7. Del'" of '.ulit 01 M"Q TofI.,. ItJ%. 1M, • M,... W.a..d Cool.!

32. ART JOURNAL. XX.

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V'ler'ON ~8-

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-~...­or..,.,., A.-n..-_.-•Dtvid Alfaro Siqudros

o ........ a... .......---

Existing COlldilions .. Roof Pion & 5tel;0"5-I.-~

Illltstration 8

--~-

'-"-"'- -'-.----;,

--

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•Dtvid Alfaro Siqlltirosa I'wNf M 1M It......---

Existing Condilions -

lIIust"Jlion 9

BuildinE Eletldtions 6- mtions_',_ r-~":":.

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Scheme 8

ik-

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=,::..... ·..._'Iu rlO(lial"

__ David ATfs;;;'Siqueiros11' .....1- '" ..... A......--

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David Alfaro Siqueirosf.l __ ....... _--, 1.11, ..

Scheme 8

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Scheme B

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lllusimiioll 19:

/lllIslrllliolt 21: Model P/rOI,'

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Model P[wlo[/llistratiolt 77-

.---------------.'_.'-­.. -.. -,~-_.~_ ..--", _,_v~' •

II/ustratioll 23: Mudd Pilot"

Thi.t New fre.=> repre.<ent.t the l.orge.d Mu=! Workon the continem and i.t the fir&! Outdoor PaWing in&ment e.xecuted with Mechanical Equipment by 0

eouective Group under the Direclion 01 the EminentMe.xicon ?Irti&!, D. A. SIQ'UEI ROS

.' \-

They brtlUiht blck samples, too,and collector, bee.n to buy. BUIperh.ps one of the blll"cst contrl·butlnll' torcc' for the In......lon WIlSmade by ",·c:r.1thy Amerlc.ns. Yourbig Indll3trlallsl or finnncier aeesWe very ru.llatlcally, HIs allll,$ may~ dUlerent to thOiie ot the socl.ll.stMexican painters but h.Is "lalon Iamuch the same. They understande:!ch olher very \lIell bcuUJe theyboth de.1 In soclal re.lltlea. Hehelped.

The }dencln Invulon dl<l notreally Id lolnl untJl the, I"renchInvasion collapsed, Both 'WeTe In·vuloos of a.rt, but the lalter camehue on • commercl.l bQls. Whencommcrce drop~d FrenCh art deal.ers did lltUe rno~ business.

EAT A~D PAlNTThe MulCl1lll canle differently.

'!'beT! \lIete no 'dcalera, but .rt!alS\lIho ....nted to ut and paint on...lls. While.n American Is ""on­derln, how much he can ;et torpa.!ntlng- a '·.U the MUIC'ln doeathe }ab. Palntln;, not buaineM;, IsWhat InteresL, him, He KCJ him·ul! u • 'I.borer and Is willing towork on a Ji.borer', tlrrms. wblch Inth~ times me.ns something to eatand cart.re. The Invasion c.me .tthe right Urne to conquer, And now,....hen IltOllle are thinking about ao·clal problem,. the Mexlcl'fl IdeLlh.ve .dded lntereat, .lthough theIrthemes and styles arc cordially dls·liked by plenty ot Iltople, here uin their n.tlve" land; .

Beln; vlrotOus nnd ieemine 11m­I'le, the typical Mexican style .... 1l1doubllus be mueh imitated-just IJithe modcm French ~'u. That wouldscem to be II pIty but It lJi probablyIne..ltable. Shuttlnl It out \I.'ould dono lood-"e hlVc too m.ny phow.Irapha .nd book.!. The only \I.'.y •VleOrtlll5 outside art can hi: reslatedla by the natural de\'dopment oran art within our 0""1) borders It·sclt Atronc- enough to resl.st thetemptation.

Artls permU,til'e, not cOlllpcl1ti\·e.ltal1.11 art crept up trom the .southto perme.te l'Iorthrrn European art.This contincnt ",·tll probably h:l\'ea like e:llperlence,

The Meilean Irl hl\':lsicn Of th~

Unl~ St.&t(a la probabl)' u IneVit_able u our commercill.. penetrationinto MUico. Whether cllher IsIl'ood or bad depends prlllelplllly onwhere your Interest 1101,

But, ot courn. lhere b nothingto stop arUals dlacu$l'lnr It In thestudio after Ille dl-Y'J 'll;ork La done,If the chairs are comfort.ble, t&lll:can ~ very pleasiUlt..

.~----~-

. SEPTEMBER ~ •.&}-lPART'

MEXICAN ART, INVADES

,.

BY.AB.nnm YtIILLJ£RDurin, COOIlc1,e and urly HOQnr

prQl:pcrl~y .. favorite theme In art.bu' Itudla&. IIfUr!.he dnY'3 work.&.1 done, WIL5 the "French In,,·aion." It ....u blessed or .da1l1ncd.accordln, to t.he Views o[ each ut·1st.. Now we have .. new tople to"lew 'a'lth ddi,ht or l.Iann-' tN.exl~.n In"Mlt;i!," .

W at 1lI 11.5 nature?' Why Is Itherd It 1s ,oed or bad for us?Wbat do .rluts'thlnk about It?

The majot' "orQ 01 the lnuder:sare Ille lrucoe.s by Rheta andOrozco In Calilorrll., and New Yorkand. those the latter 1$ now p..lnt.In, at Dartmouth Colle.e-an enor·mOUil eommbsion. Now, to thuean added the Slqudro.s tre$COes atthe Choulnud School or Art andthe large one he Is· .dqlnll' .t the

IPiau. Art ~nter. both In Los An­lelt5. TtJen, hownu, are (IUSperform..ncrs. dul,ned and rUldedby the Mexlan, but made In veryahort order. Th~ are none the JeM;,llon,ly 1mbutd With the force andclnlty typleal oC the revolutlonaryMexican. pdntel'3- ;'ho Corm the 111-yulon, - '" .

The lnv&S!on crupa Into the bookIllusllatln, tldd and Inttl the port.CoUos of print collectora, principallyIn the form of Mulcan lithographsand wood cut$. '!'be larse Mexle&nArt$ exhibit helped It alon,.

, HOW DID IT SI"AJtT~

Il b not only In dlrcct ":.orka butIn Mulan.ln1luenctd ....ork byAmerie.ns, thal the dl5(\1S.Sln, art_l.sls find the MUlcan lnvulon ac·tlve, How did It slan?

MRevolutlon" and "Fre5(O~ werelhe two thlnp or Ideu th.t belunthe !nvulon. and It slarted, 'nol~..lth lmmlrratlns ntl.sl.s but \.-Jlhrdurnln, Americans. FrOm SanFr..nc~co, Chlc.a,o .nd New YorkAmerlc.n arUaLs ber.n drifting- toMulto City to we .nd ollen to helpwIth the frescoc.a belna- p.l.]utedthere during- the last len yean.T __o thlna-s attr.cted Illcn" Or1elna]nt~ts ne .I....YS In a sblte of rc­v!>lt .ednst the ataUc pruent, sothe Idt:a. "Revolutlon," appc.1a tothem, Fr~o ""." the other "ure­a Cl"-T, dired ....y t.o duoatc ...·alls.

They, tame b,ck' ~nthuaIMt!c.b9ul the realistlc VIsion wd dIrectpalntln, methods ofthc· Mexkaru,Of'! .P1e!r·',rclurn thcy painted feet.nd .le,a .blllllcr, adopted wme 01the slmpUncll.tions ",hlch thc. Mex·1<?1ls 'ustd 'to txpre.q their o",·nIndl~ns. . A lood and b.d ""eregained.' '!'be direct Idea ot 'Worlr~ lood, We Imllatlon, b.d.

LOS :~l;G:;L1~S

TH::-iS.

•

3ep. 4, 1932dos.

•

Frt',vn ,,/ JI/,,~/.. S"""I'U"jf('r/ ;:j' lJ,."" Cnrtllt'Cll

n.' S'nrl ttl 1\',.,,, Mot'(:

Plaza FTescoIs Dedicated

Th. hUKe fr~o dellicUllJ: " "Ie~ •lun junJ:;le Kene in nrU·eb..... SI­quelro uylo! ...-hlch the ulebral.cdWu:1un .rl.bt. Darld AII.ro SI­qudro. and _lateA h.~vr k-endoln, on the PI.u. Art Crnl....,IINt Direr. Slte.r.l. I. 10 be u!dbllcd1n a compleled -'1 ... 1" Le lioc pUb_Ue S"nday 01 1::Ml,.m 11;rr~ ..ilI~"tol1l<.l .nd ......ac:um ........ n::edby DltKtor 1'. K. f'ere"" of tho­cenlu.

De"n Corn...dl. m"~I.. t .... ond!",In!'.r 01 the I..c.r. A" I,," J.Ib"..,.mu all" 01 lro _br .It l~ the ".eeond :,t...." ronllll ",;hI" S;C1uelao I" Lno .'neck... Thenfll "a.s ..1 Ihe C:h<,ui,,~r<l $l;hoolo! All.

----_.-,-'.Se'Dtiembre 4,@??

TH& be"lnnhu: of _ ne...." va f.a;oo.,l"" ... callrorllla.

So ..,.. Dr.n C..,.....lI. n..I.~m"r.l ..I""t. of Ihe r·I~.,,,, 1.~lnlf..".'"Trople31 "'nlerle.:· 1•••P.r' , I".O...M .IIT..... "'".. el.'~. nn 110 11nl Ih~ nld 1,"11.~ h.'11 , .., ,,1.' .. _01,·....

,·~",,·..'.. Il .",.,.~" .,.. I,., :.... ,.. I ' ., "'.1 " " ,._.In ,...., I 11,' r'b,,. .'rl 1·""I .',.,,1"0"_' .\...!._.~ .oI,,,.. ~ •)hnll 'e"'rlo III n'.... ond au••

LOS jdiGELES TH~.S C·o...lt ;a:JI.lI jun.l,. ~oqll,

Od.obet tndlllonl.lly opeeru~. In th. number of ,&lle..,. auc.pUon. ~tcber b lbo thl II&nd f ........d .t .ceomplbhment and

In Cdllomla. thb lin...~ lllIlh...~ the I:'O\'P of m:ltu.e pa.1ntcr3_1>0 d.,.1 .lth our IandKapt'. tin·t.oubif'd by the .te 01 III)tCd .ndclI.'\n:e they contlD\lc to lnlullfetMture 11'1 tertnS of lICht .nd .~OI·pher•. The)' form out In.I.joclty.

A rounaer element which h ...I:rO.'1\ up here l\1nee. mOle Intrr­en In ,,·h.t rr.on ha.. done to thehndlupt'. They be,ln II> S« thehmll, (lUes Ind people u art ma·tern!.

n'e okl.r rTOtIll Wt the InnuetIC.fll the ImprUlIor.i.l.t.; tht' youn:tlt ..../lOnrled to J'lQII.lmllrCBlonJ.o;m.fitill • lhlrd lnRuence Irem outsld..hu .OKted C.Ufomi. art thI-.a l.I.stfew lCuon.-the ...ark or the M.:d­can fruco painters.

tlnlllre lIIe French lnf1uencc.,which ........ usuallJ tel;hnlQ,1 .nd In­"'I~~t\ll.l. the Mulc.a.na. n.Y1: llOU-""1:dra_ "llallly ll'> the ...Ill. Much ofthdr "(Irk ..ill not be r... ted ;oodmut1l1 dcoot.l.Llon. :aorn I'll revolu·lion .t home the:. .tl ~l.sfJ

ltrenJlh. 011.1'1 In ,gm...h.t blltereolor~.

BUI ther .hould ttro~p. I .0011 1,,_.flllenn b.,...... ulo\i the)' h .... ,ho..n 11,1

how 10 Ittack Il't p1'1lblun" On '"I.,.......1. with eonr,dent dlr~dnr"",,, I lfd\nl",,~ that d ..mlncl. thp. u·...,bI! Or th...... ll""UL,,"".

'tb.. ~.~nlne lh. PI"... A.t Cfn·tn. Ol""rl. Jlru.1. tnritu 1M public.., dlc:nd thl Am .-te" 0( Ih~ I_lrn·el tht.!C: ),luiun It~thf hl,l~e

outclDOf York U1mpl.Ud bT D...lliCiudroa and hb clUl.

• A : .....a:d Clance .UtIUt.< th... tGO,lr younl a:tbtl I:l C.llfornl. wUId.""loll. In • thne of ,t.us. tel,.-Jn,mO.1 eomplet.tl)' on the m.terllllhcy nnd In their 0.1.'1'1 C.nforl"••

'SIQUEIROSPLAZA ART

DEDICATED

O.\-ld A1raro 5Iqll~lroa'~ IrfS(o anlhe ""all of the old Itallin Hln onOl~cu. Itrcct "'1.5 proclaimed la,tnl,ht as the atut of /I new ".modIn SolJthcrn California art ..'hen themcm~" of thc Pln& Art CenterCl~lclttd the plAattt·pa1ntlnc to ~tna-'n as '"t'roplu] Amezka..~

Dnn Corn"'tll, IlOtc:d mlln! art.1.t, "ho w.... Ihe IponIOI" flit ~OIYuI-J,trm fruc:o, III hb llddnuIt the dedlcatlon, ulcI ~ COOflpk.tlon Of the Irt WOrk undoubt~17....U aorakm a new apprecJ.alioD forthe d~.Uon of blank ....Ills.

"Whdhtr thia form or u\ silo....In lhl decoration of thl "'.Us of ~ht.Iter., Ubrarlcs, the Ildfll of b"'l1d.Inp or even on bllJboardl.~ he 3akl."It ~11l be a ,000 thin;. for thcn wc• hlU hIVe some!hl", tIt.utllu! Inplan Of SOmethln, bllnt.."

SlquelrO$, the artlU'luthOt of Ihafruco, ...hlth she", • t.goplc:...1 ..cct.e.. tlh " M",..." tunllle In ruhu "lidIl.·..rrr....n .·lIn Jun,k C._lh• .-.,hlltod:lUd at ~he d~dfC'J,tlcll br F.X. Fcrera" director I>l the P~QAft ernler. Fnem. ","nouru;ed lheMuka.n .rtist rtll kne Los A"­t~lt. "Uhin a ~hort tl~ for liucnOiAlr....I'. "h~re h~ till trnderta.ke RV.erlt ..... 11 decorallon.<.6

l'ollo."';m:; th~ dedil;lltlllf\. Ihenltmbe,.. ot the art eenler c.'·e .1'1Inf(>tn,.l rectpHon 101' tne artist.

F,,,.1~f} of )mllirHai/t'r{ :y J)f'fI" (7nrttrl·t'11

n., Stnrt of ,,""IV Mm;e

Dnld AHaro Siqudros'l Ire:lCO onthe .....U 01 Ine old Italian Hall 01'1Olver. at.ut ".1.:1 proclalmcd lutnlcM 1.1. the lb.t or " ne_ pe.1odI" Sovtnem CaUl""nl" art when Ihel:I'Iember, of the Plaza kt cenle:dedlcalt'd Ihe f\wtcr·palnUnr to be.D>or.\ .1.:1 1'rof)ka.1 Amerlca.p

Dnn Corn\t'ClI. noled m....:o.1 ....t­l.t. "'1'10 ."l the SfX!f1lO: for theOh·ea.ltrcet lrew:o. In hb a.cldral'at Ihe ~ed!c;.I!lIf\.... ld U", cample·til'" 01 the .1.:1 .'ork undoubtedly...·111 ...·.I:tn • nc..- .pp.ed:o.!Ion lorthe decoration of blank ...IlL

"Whelher Ihls fo:m of :lrt IhO'\'II... Ihe rlecOI.lion 01 Ih••·.lIs of 'h~.

alen. librarln, the ,Id..." of build·Inp o. uen on bl11board~.~ he uld.PII ...·m be ... cood Ihl:'~. for then .·eoh...l1 hue oonlcthfnc br""liful InIlloee of """...Ihln: bbnk.~

$ICll.lClros. Ihe artl.n·aulhor 01 lIIefresco. chiCh Mlo", " Iropit;a.llCU.•wIth .. M.)"n tempi. L" rull'lll .~~

o"U'Cl"~ ''''1II juns:l. C.09rl!l. Il"UIntroduf'fd at th~ d~i... tion b ... F.K. Fettle. dir«lor of l.he PiauArt Ccnt~:. F~:cn~ _"nounc~ theMC:llc'an :utbt .·ill In..., Loo. An_J:;~I~s "'lthln _ 'hort lime lOT B~na.

AIIl'!!••·hele M wlll underb.l:.t.IC~.

ft.l ...·"n rl~"';"'I1... ..I......,~.1'(\1In,,1UI: tilt ,knit.lioll. th~

_,,~ ~••h ~. ~"" ..

SIQUEIROSPLAZA ART

DEDICATED

DISPUTED MURAL MAY REAPPEARBY JACK JO<,\t:S

'_.l'otr .......J).lI' hi AlIna Siqueil'1P.. the famOUJ ll".de.tll re·.-....

btimlar}' murillisl. h;,ul H:aruly /im,hed his ~Ionl

f:'uco Oil an upstair.'! .nll al Qh'era Slret! here inIQ:;:: ,,'hell it was \\'hit~wnhed o,'"r,

Contro,"tl"$\' trupltd 01:1."1' Ih~ WQt"1.: l>«~u~~. In·w~;,d ..r dOln';irl.l: Sflomita! or l1li~il)n~. it d~plclefl a"ruclfied peon lJeI)~~th an ugle Slllmf!!ti\"l: nf theI "llited :itatel'.•·\11 A~lee ~nd a $OkIi~r of Ih~ f"e\"Ohl­tiQtl ~im~1 riOcs at the u;le.

THEN_Portion of 1932 Americo Tropical frescoby DavId Alfaro SIqueiros contah,lng crucified peon

T..l1,', dimh' seen Ihrnugh thl! I\'eathtt-btatlm"'hitl!w~>ho.f':in:;\o ~llJ'lbilit)". the Oll('e-\'ib~nt frf'­!<l,.'fJ (jlk-fl -Amet'lm Tropie:al' h;p bttome ~ ¥)'mbt>!to a :,-m:oll,nJUp of l:hic::m05 :mxiou. to brin! it outof hili;II':.

"It lll"inu of ltymbollr "r tht. treatment lhe CIlh.~·tlo 11;1' h;ltl in tlHI L:nileet SI31<:-'i.,· sl\icl.Il!$u~ Trc!\'lnn,II }"OUlIC: film milker who I.~ pl"el)~11ng:l rl()(!Umtnlltrynil lht" Illuml 10 hp. ..hoI"" on liCE,. lChannel :::81June ~! OIl 8::;1) p.m.

"It l't'lilinds u. Ih:lt tilele hll,'1! been olher whilll_

rlu•• Turn Ie Daek "are, 0.1. I

bMealh eogle, near left tid" ond soldier of therevolution, at right, aiming his rifle at the eClgl•.

NOW _ LuPt' Medino, holdIng pholo o' ..-\mffico Tropical,uomines the whitewashed woll on which rhtt fresco wos done.

Tin". Ilh"t". h,. J""n )I~II"',,

-l

• 'One mi;:ht intcrpl"tt lhefresco bowe\'er one liked,)'lillier wrote, but -It is iI)'{exiean', picture of hi.'mm troubled bnd ... l)rthe tragedy of hislor)' and!'It man'lI fatr..--"""'==-,_.. ...."- .._---

lM""the~~~lis-~e~ aDd"h;.-~ s~~-~~ - ~d~.~UUJI- ~trYh ~

destroyed. O ....K< reseoes, a ......outdoor Sillueiroa Ireaeo While hen, he wu com- lorced to return to MUicnaIn the United States and missioned to'do another, }'ormer TImes art aitieVilladez, as manastr of lb. 'PortraIt of MexiCO,' in tbe ATthur MUller commenledsLate-ownedhistoricalafU, porch of the Paclfle Pall· at the time that Siquelroa'

..d- home of Dudley •Aroerlca 'l'ropleal" w~l;I.kl It mi,ht be just It .... . L.._" Ith h'- -n-.". '.'''-hy. , film director of ',rn""'a1 '" ~ Cu ... rwell to induce the artist to .• -,. , "_ ._~. '" I

ib 'h. ,'m.. That oue reo tion 0 t,... , ....;1'10... '.."Orne back lInli do aao er d , hi" •

Chi m-'·--ib. '"'y other SI- l r '1' yo' na 1\"on_wherever the ea- ..,~'10 communily w.nb It. quelros freED hen. land: _

'N! he was asked by )lillier ald. .. ,"-oUI1'"Not In tome m~m .... kI I n. hen. tbe owner of tht then Pla· try thou we come it IN;

across town somew , v_ ~... C.nter at Olyera. who works with such ,In.Trevino said, "but In our ........n nd I' ho

5.--t to do the outside eerlty a III en.. IVl"Ommunlly.'·- II' hi ,"h

d I h ,,-III-~"'" that turned out ,hlIru so unse IS )' IVtiiquelros, he sal ,Dl /; t ... • ......u h 'b' '-h ,h

'"- - .b-••·••• l ·t the others is 'Va Ull e""" n •lie Interated In IUC II "'" - '.' I' ,'"

ho h h· po-'-" ,'·'ble from the eal .ad artist c ...now gePI'Oj«l, even t ul "IS ,...... ..\"i~ll here in 1932 was not "lIftt was whitewashed.• lolally happy on~ The rest or it wn c:ovem!

lie came here then to d'" later.~ nlut¥l. ·Suut Mutin.: In lhe .meanUnle, 5!­fr)\" tt'te O»uiDard School Iluelrot' .!x-month ,,;s'­<'Ir ..\rt, wbleh he did with II lllr'. penmt uplrid ,00tum ot painters. ThaI, WaI$ not renewed...'1­1M ~t;'-rerl ronlro"UlIy Iho\1~h he wanterl, ttt re·_...:..---- ..-' .~ ..---

COVERED FRESCOBut tba~td 'be '..slly tected th~ origirwl 'I\'or\:

uprnli". and, ,('conUOJ' from the elements, ill aometo Muio VaJada. INIMI' placu it hu nt j $ e d inJnl dJrtdOC' o( EI Pueblo with the color:s.. In otherde Los Angeles' it him spots. the munl has .plt'­been dtU!rmlMd ( that the .toted from the w·,IU.

C.."linued from Fin' rare .".ilin,. report of two buildin,; nC1:d not be de· Simply npaillUn.l;' O\'f'l'washings, Inll that WI II" Mulco City Itt .teslon· lnolillhed. the ""'lslnal wtluhl nul,:lftraced with 10m. oC the tlon experts rtcommenderl But restoring the (resco txlJCrts plJiJlt au!. l.'OII,tl-

by lb' 74-year-old rebel In place presents ICvel4ll lule true 1"elI10I-oition.um. feelul's that were milL probkms. And even it thef~ illthere In the Qriy 1930's. II When the okl JUillJIn FOT one thiDr. Siqueiros bf'ouSht Ige,," lo life in iL'<lime DC the deportations Hall buildlDJ that bean: ',Dd. hill eftw. or ·student prueont location 011 iii wall(If lIexielm, the begin- -the traco Cnot '\isible auistlintJ abandoMd the "" hidden that one Dnllltninp of the fann labor lrom Olven. Street below) traditional Ire. to lech-' crolwl oot a Idndow andmovement and atrlke:I. . •• wu damapd in lut Feb- nique or applying I.tl:ft onto an ildjl)inlng mof tn

TrevIno and lin. Shlfr;a ruary'l urthqullke, there coats or paint to the wall. vi~\v it. who Wl,IUkt IReGoldm:m, an Eaat LeI An- was talk by the group of using inatelld a Ipray JUII, il~

IltJes College .rt history taking down the wall In that droye ground cement VlIladel!; pointed out thatleach~r who disco\-ered It(.Uona.nd mO\inl it,to Into the brlcb. . Mille l"Onlll'uetlol1 wouldnlentlona of the JoDI·..• the proposed Plua de It. The oolon: '....el'e bri11~nt, he lle«Uilt')' to ,trensthel\.allen mural • coupl. Ran In Lbx-oln Park. The but it It impoalble to re- the adjaC'eDt roo!. p,'O\"ldfJ'yUrt ago. have been ae- ll-membcr SLate Hiltorle \i ..... tbem by limply peel- ltalr'll.nd lOme IIYt tlf1r.·IT.ilhaC'Oma:liUubcnt llnd Fark Commiu50n InJit oCfa top layer. overhallJ: to prntect theon re:rtoring it. _"GUk! ha.. to ,Iv. Ita ap'" Too, .1U~b t.1Je whitl!- nt work frnm Ih. weith-

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