A Group of Vintage Monochrome Photographs of Works in Situ
Buren, Daniel
Various places. 1970–1983
A highly interesting group of photographs of early Buren works in situ including a very scarce record of his controversial contribution ot the Guggenheim International Exhibition 1971.
Since 1967, Daniel Buren has employed alternating vertical stripes in white and colour, each stripe measuring exactly 87 mm in width, for his works in situ. Often of pre-fabricated canvas cloth which Buren would then paint and position according to an established system, the stripes, their placement and manipulation were intended to explore art’s relationship to its physical environment, usually mischeviously and subversively, whether in a gallery or a museum, or as these photographs also demonstrate in an outside context. For these outside contexts, Buren would often employ his guerilla technique of 'affichages sauvages'; documentation, sometimes the sole record, of Buren's works in situ and his guerilla acts are therefore central to his practice.
These photographs, largely from the early 1970s, provide a glimpse of the period when Buren was both an enfant terrible criticising the mainstream of art, and was beginning to achieve recognition and acclaim through solo and group shows in that mainstream. Of particular interest are the photograph (annotated by the artist) of Buren's early exhibition at the Galerie Yvon Lambert 'Indication à lire comme indication de ce qui est à voir' where his work was vandalised, and the photograph of the work - it became highly controversial, was never exhibited and this photograph is a scarce record - he contributed to the Guggenheim International Exhibition 1971.
- Monochrome photograph (239 x 181 mm) of Buren's work in situ for 'Invitation à lire comme indication de ce qui est à voir' at Galerie Yvon Lambert (December 2, 1970 - January 5, 1971) comprising a double-sided white and green striped painting ('Peinture acrylique blanche sur toile de coton tissé à raures blaches et vertes, alternées et verticales de 8.7 cm de large chacune, câbles; 300 x 300 cm) hanging above the street; annotated by Buren beneath in green and red inks: 'Paris/ Décembre 1970 Rue de l'Echaudé/ Paris / Peintre blanc et verte / recto verso'; Buren's work was vandalised during the exhibition and had to be taken down. [see T IV 82].
- Monochrome photograph (239 x 180 mm) of Buren's work in situ for the 'Guggenheim International Exhibition 1971' at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1971) comprising a large striped cloth hanging beneath the cupola ('Peinture acrylique blanche sur toile de coton tissé à rayures blanches et bleues, alternées et verticales de 8.7 cm de large chacune; 2,000 x 1,000 cm); Buren's large work caused Donald Judd, Dan Flavin and Michael Heizer to object and after their pressure the museum removed the work despite protest from the other exhibitors (Sol LeWitt, Carl Andre, Laurence Weiner, Jan Dibbets, Hanne Darboven and others); a second work by Buren was never exhibited and Andre and LeWitt removed their own works. [see T IV 99].
- Monochrome photograph (240 x 180 mm) of Buren's work in situ at the Wide White Space Gallery, Antwerp (the gallery is easily identifiable from its projecting ship prow balcony); the photograph annotated in pencil verso: 'White + Transparent, 1972 [altered to 1971] / Antwerpen / (Private) / Cellophane (no glue)'. Although Buren had multiple exhibitions at Antwerp's Wide White Space in the early 1970s, we cannot trace this work, executed by Buren in the circular window with balcony beneath the prow of the protruding ship's prow, suggesting that it was unconnected to Buren's series of three exhibitions at the gallery in 1969, 1971 and 1972 (or was perhaps for a vernissage only) or that it was executed at a later date as Buren continued to exhibit there. [see T III 65; T IV 116; T IV 217].
- Monochrome photograph (238 x 180 mm) of Buren's work in situ for the exhibition 'Including the Walls' at Houston, Texas' Cusack Gallery, opening 22 May, 1975.
- Monochrome photograph (202 x 254 mm) of Buren's work in situ ('Chez Georges - Blanc et Orange') at the restaurant 'Chez Georges', on the corner of rue du Débarcadère and Boulevard Péreire, 17ème Arrodissement, Paris, (1974); pencil annotations verso: '2nd. Blue. / Paris, 1974. [1976] / Orange. / (White stripes / from window)'.
- Four monochrome photographs (each 202 x 254 mm) of Buren's works in situ for 'These Elements that are Manipulated', his contribution to the group exhibition 'Museums by Artists' at Canada's Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (the Sam and Ayala Zacks Wing), April 2nd - May 15th, 1983; Buren exhibited alongside Marcel Broodthaers, Robert Filiou, General Idea, On Kawara, James Lee Byars, Jannis Kounellis et al. Each photograph with attribution label verso from the David Bellman Gallery, Toronto.
- Two monochrome photographs (254 x 204 mm and the reverse) of unlocated works in situ by Buren.
[References cited are to Buren's catalogue raisonné].
Since 1967, Daniel Buren has employed alternating vertical stripes in white and colour, each stripe measuring exactly 87 mm in width, for his works in situ. Often of pre-fabricated canvas cloth which Buren would then paint and position according to an established system, the stripes, their placement and manipulation were intended to explore art’s relationship to its physical environment, usually mischeviously and subversively, whether in a gallery or a museum, or as these photographs also demonstrate in an outside context. For these outside contexts, Buren would often employ his guerilla technique of 'affichages sauvages'; documentation, sometimes the sole record, of Buren's works in situ and his guerilla acts are therefore central to his practice.
These photographs, largely from the early 1970s, provide a glimpse of the period when Buren was both an enfant terrible criticising the mainstream of art, and was beginning to achieve recognition and acclaim through solo and group shows in that mainstream. Of particular interest are the photograph (annotated by the artist) of Buren's early exhibition at the Galerie Yvon Lambert 'Indication à lire comme indication de ce qui est à voir' where his work was vandalised, and the photograph of the work - it became highly controversial, was never exhibited and this photograph is a scarce record - he contributed to the Guggenheim International Exhibition 1971.
- Monochrome photograph (239 x 181 mm) of Buren's work in situ for 'Invitation à lire comme indication de ce qui est à voir' at Galerie Yvon Lambert (December 2, 1970 - January 5, 1971) comprising a double-sided white and green striped painting ('Peinture acrylique blanche sur toile de coton tissé à raures blaches et vertes, alternées et verticales de 8.7 cm de large chacune, câbles; 300 x 300 cm) hanging above the street; annotated by Buren beneath in green and red inks: 'Paris/ Décembre 1970 Rue de l'Echaudé/ Paris / Peintre blanc et verte / recto verso'; Buren's work was vandalised during the exhibition and had to be taken down. [see T IV 82].
- Monochrome photograph (239 x 180 mm) of Buren's work in situ for the 'Guggenheim International Exhibition 1971' at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1971) comprising a large striped cloth hanging beneath the cupola ('Peinture acrylique blanche sur toile de coton tissé à rayures blanches et bleues, alternées et verticales de 8.7 cm de large chacune; 2,000 x 1,000 cm); Buren's large work caused Donald Judd, Dan Flavin and Michael Heizer to object and after their pressure the museum removed the work despite protest from the other exhibitors (Sol LeWitt, Carl Andre, Laurence Weiner, Jan Dibbets, Hanne Darboven and others); a second work by Buren was never exhibited and Andre and LeWitt removed their own works. [see T IV 99].
- Monochrome photograph (240 x 180 mm) of Buren's work in situ at the Wide White Space Gallery, Antwerp (the gallery is easily identifiable from its projecting ship prow balcony); the photograph annotated in pencil verso: 'White + Transparent, 1972 [altered to 1971] / Antwerpen / (Private) / Cellophane (no glue)'. Although Buren had multiple exhibitions at Antwerp's Wide White Space in the early 1970s, we cannot trace this work, executed by Buren in the circular window with balcony beneath the prow of the protruding ship's prow, suggesting that it was unconnected to Buren's series of three exhibitions at the gallery in 1969, 1971 and 1972 (or was perhaps for a vernissage only) or that it was executed at a later date as Buren continued to exhibit there. [see T III 65; T IV 116; T IV 217].
- Monochrome photograph (238 x 180 mm) of Buren's work in situ for the exhibition 'Including the Walls' at Houston, Texas' Cusack Gallery, opening 22 May, 1975.
- Monochrome photograph (202 x 254 mm) of Buren's work in situ ('Chez Georges - Blanc et Orange') at the restaurant 'Chez Georges', on the corner of rue du Débarcadère and Boulevard Péreire, 17ème Arrodissement, Paris, (1974); pencil annotations verso: '2nd. Blue. / Paris, 1974. [1976] / Orange. / (White stripes / from window)'.
- Four monochrome photographs (each 202 x 254 mm) of Buren's works in situ for 'These Elements that are Manipulated', his contribution to the group exhibition 'Museums by Artists' at Canada's Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (the Sam and Ayala Zacks Wing), April 2nd - May 15th, 1983; Buren exhibited alongside Marcel Broodthaers, Robert Filiou, General Idea, On Kawara, James Lee Byars, Jannis Kounellis et al. Each photograph with attribution label verso from the David Bellman Gallery, Toronto.
- Two monochrome photographs (254 x 204 mm and the reverse) of unlocated works in situ by Buren.
[References cited are to Buren's catalogue raisonné].
Various formats and sizes (see below). 11 original monochrome photographs of works by Daniel Buren (see below). Loose in glassine folder.
#47147
