The artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) has had an enormous influence on the contemporary art world since the 1980s, and even since her death has been the source of new revelations. There can’t be many who are unaware of her gigantic iconic spider sculpture Maman (1999) and its casts, which have been exhibited at major museums all over the globe. It was quite unexpected that an artist as advanced in years as Bourgeois would become a symbol for feminism and deep psychological obsessions, but despite the late discovery of her substantial output, the art world quickly became mesmerised by her. Born in France in 1911 to a family who had a workshop specialising in repairing tapestries, she learned to appreciate the handicraft as a young girl. However, early disillusion came when her father’s decade-long affair with her governess was exposed. This haunted her as long as she lived and she regularly referred to it in her art. Some art critics have even suggested that her father’s infidelity came to define her whole career.

After studying in Paris, Bourgeois met the art historian Robert Goldwater (1907-1973). They married in 1938 and, after relocating to New York, adopted a boy and then, in quick succession, had two more boys of their own. Bourgeois’ awe at the impressive metropolis her new home was can be seen in her early sculptural works: loneliness, extreme architecture, the surrealists and the bebop/jazz-music scene all influenced her creation of totem-like artworks that have also been viewed as phallic symbols. She even called them her friends.

In an art scene dominated by macho painters, the abstract-impressionist movement fuelled her aspiration to reconsider her art. Following her father’s death in 1951 she fell into depression and secretly started going to psychoanalysis, which continued until 1985. She rarely exhibited during this period and was kind of a loner during the late 1950s. During the 1960s, following the emergence of pop art, she started to develop more organic forms in her sculptures, and participated in group shows, where she met the young artists Eva Hesse and Bruce Nauman. She also began using new materials, such as plastic and latex, in her work. Conceptualism, minimalism and performance were at that time reinvigorating the art world, and Bourgeois became immersed in the women’s liberation movement, leading her to feel that she had found her place in the world. Consequently, her art began to find a new meaning, a keenness to define women’s place in art history.

She began producing more sexually orientated sculptures, such as Janus Fleuri (1968) and Sleep II (1967), which undoubtedly resemble both male and female genitalia. Were they a way of dealing with her father’s betrayal? Or were they a substitute for self-abuse? Dream-like drawings then became a large part of her work and were seen throughout the rest of her career. In 1982, when Bourgeois was 70, the Museum of Modern Art in New York staged a retrospective of her work – at last, the art world was becoming aware of her importance. After receiving several awards, she moved to a large studio in Brooklyn and hired Jerry Gorovoy as her assistant. During the 1990s she exhibited extensively, even representing the US at the Venice Bienniale in 1993. Then, the monumental spiders began appearing, along with more examples of her dark and enigmatic cells.

In the beautiful exhibition currently on show at Stockholm’s Moderna Museet, her work is displayed throughout nine rooms, which have been given the following names: Runaway Girl, Loneliness, Trauma, Fragility, Nature Studies, Eternal Movement, Relationships, Talking and Giving, and Balance. These titles perfectly walk the viewer through the different chapters of Bourgeois’ life and the challenges she had to deal with. Whereas former exhibitions of Bourgeois’ work have had a gloomy, depressing air, focusing on the conflict she felt with her deceased father – seen with the dark installation “cells”, cages and enclosed compartments – in this exhibition there is a delightful levity and beauty that places the artist in a more positive and progressive light. It gives the visitor an even more comprehensive insight into her artworks and the person Bourgeois was.

Since she was more or less an outsider during the majority of her career she avoided the pitfalls of the art market, meaning she was lucky enough to be able to work undisturbed and develop artworks that were personal to her, including patched doll-like figures, glassworks, bronze objects and wood sculptures… The list is endless, as are the different techniques and materials she used, even though they were very classical and low-tech. More than 70 years of work are on show at the Moderna Museet, giving us an indication of the absolute and honest approach she had as an artist. Seven in Bed (2001) is, at first sight, a cute bundle of dolls; however, on closer inspection, there is a hint

of incest, constraint and maybe envy. In contrast to this, on the wall are several watercolours. One – called 10 AM Is When You Come to Me (2006) – shows a more direct and sensitive side: her beloved assistant Gorovoy, who worked with her until she died, usually started his working days with her at that hour. He also modelled his arms and hands for her, which led to the creation of several sculptures. Of course we cannot ignore Bourgeois’ instantly recognisable Maman (1999), the steel spider sculpture with six bronze castings that seem to be walking all over the world – a project that was made possible by the money being showered on her by an art market finally embracing her talent. The mother spider is a tender creature that helps, protects and comforts its offspring. And, as a farewell in Balance, the last room in the exhibition, there is a strong artwork – The Birth (2007) – which was painted in red watercolour on paper in a simple and fragile manner, depicting a woman giving birth: a final sign, maybe, that Louise Bourgeois was free from demons at last. Or, as a
work from 2005 of letters marked into metal simply states, I Love You.

Credits:

Words by Axel Mörner.

Louise Bourgeois: I Have Been to Hell and Back, until 17th May; Moderna Museet, Stockholm

Maman (1999), outside the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Photograph: Louise Bourgeois in her New York home in 1998, The Birth (2007), Lair (1986), Blue Is The Colour Of Your Eyes (2008), Together (2005), Father And Son (2004), Couple (2001), 10 Am Is When You Come To Me (2006), I Love You (2007), Femme Maison (2008)

The new exhibition Sculpture after Sculpture with the participant artists Katharina Fritsch, Jeff Koons and Charles Ray is a good effort by the museumchief Daniel Birnbaum. In a short lapse of time it has generated a lot of articles and discussions, all the way from applause to the offended culturejournalist at the big morningpaper.

It is important for the Swedish public to have a chance of a glimpse at the high level articons that are travelling around the world that generates so much of vital impressions that it becomes a matter of importance to world culture. Apart from the obvious references to Duchamp and the Pop art collection at the museum this is an important exhibition in itself.

The biggest star of them all is of course neopop maestro Jeff Koons who has turned his art into a multimillion business thanks to his enourmos selfconfidence and wit and of course with the help from the biggest collectors in the world like Francois Pinault, Bernard Arnauld and Dakis Joannu.

Koons fascination for the simple massproduced products like toys and other cheerful paraphernalia has become quite important icons of the contemporary world we live in. He started out in a quite seroius way producing conceptual artworks like the vacuumcleaners trapped in plexiglas cases (New Hoover Convertibles, New Shelton Wet/Drys 5-Gallon Doubledecker, 1981-87) and basketballs hovering in aquariumtanks (Two Ball Total Equilibtium Tank, 1985), having a dry matter of fact attitude of our everyday symbols. But the real shift came when he simplified his ideas and started using toys and greetingparaphernalia where we can see one of the grandest works he has done in this exhibition: Balloon Dog, 1994-2000, this work is a true masterpiece as it is simple, instantly recognizable, fun, totally harmless and very decorative. This is a piece you can put up anywhere in the world and it will get immediate attention, it works for any viewer and it touches all levels of sense and sensibility.
The problem with Koons is that as soon as he wants to get more intricate and deep philosophywise his works tend to become boring, like any other conceptualist who wants to dissect the human thoughtprocess and you leave out the fragile balance of the visual and the humour, its a dud.

Well, there are 5 unique Balloon Dog sculptures in different colors that are continously touring around the world and despite the chinese company that offer you one for a fraction of the price the artist does not fear to much intervention in his business. There are several lawsuits ongoing by the way.

The other two artists are a bit lesser known for the general public but are stars in their own right, having good careers and making a fine living from the works. They have formidable sculptures on display like the Madonnenfigur, 1987 by Fritsch and the Fall ’91 by Ray. Fritsch is a very crass matter of fact symbolic artist that has a very strict way of presenting her works, almost like Koons she minimize the traces and make it very simple for the mind to take in, but with a more teutonic dry approach that is humourless.

Charles Ray might be the most interesting one, at least if we look at his works from the 90’s when he broke through: he uses the shift in our perception and investigates in both history of art and our popular culture and uses a meticulous procedure when manufacturing the works.
Like in the sculpture Tractor, 2005, where he has dismantled a broken caterpillar tractor down to the tiniest detail and then cast everything in aluminium and as a final tribute to the machine put everything together so it resembles the real one but it is a clone or … Whatever the viewer need to see.

The exhibition was put together by Jack Bankowsky a writer and former editor of Artforum a true theorist which shows in the exhibitions lack of the visual and harsch beauty. An interesting gossip is that Mr Bankowsky’s boyfriend is Matthew Marks the gallerist who represents Fritsch and Ray, and mr Birnbaum used to write for Artforum under Mr Bankowsky’s watch. Anyway what are contacts good for if you do not use them.
Go and see the exhibition, it will make you a better person.

Sculpture after Sculpture.
11 november – 18 january, 2015
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
www.modernamuseet.se

For a more deeper investigation into the mind of Jeff Koons there is a retrospective of his career at the Centre Pompidou from 26 november – 27 april, 2015 and thereafter the show will travel to the Guggenheim Bilbao.

If you are interested in sculputral installation visit the Louisiana museum and enjoy someone more of a contemporary age, Olafur Eliasson’s exhibition Riverbed which will give you a complete turnaround on artappreciation.
Runs til january 4, 2015.

Credits:

Words by Axel Mörner

The popularity of photography is enormous at the moment, both as an art form and a vital tool in social media. Nobody can be without a smartphone – how else could we constantly update our Facebook and Instagram accounts?

It is part of our daily routine to inform everybody of what we are doing at that very moment and to check out what everybody else is up to. A generation of anxiety, perhaps, but I guess it’s called evolution.

At the same time the fine-art auction houses and galleries are witnessing a continuous boom in the art-photography market. The American photographer Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #96 (1981), one of her more serene-looking self-portraits, from the “centerfold” series, went for $3.8 million in 2011; a couple of months later, Andreas Gursky’s Rhein II (1999) went for $4.3 million. This might be hard to understand, especially as the Gursky photograph is from an edition of six and the Sherman photograph is one of 10. So you could buy an oil painting by a contemporary artist such as John Currin for the same amount, despite the latter being a unique piece.

This is more or less controlled at the art market’s highest level: the top dealers and gallerists in co-operation with the collectors, who are often hedge-fund billionaires and oligarchs who have no problem at all with these price tags. They like the idea of an edition, even if it is as low as six or 10 (it could be considered “original”) – they need a large number of works to achieve a big turnover, and they will get that from fine-art photography. The bottom line for these people is that it’s about earning money, so the more art you make, the bigger business you do as a collector and an artist.

To understand how photography reached the level of recognition it recieves today we need first to look at some historical facts and events. In the first half of the 1800s the medium was more or less invented by Joseph Niépce and put to use shortly afterwards. Long exposure times and limited capacities from the lens restricted the images to portraits and still-lifes. Documentary photography also started around this time, as seen with Roger Fenton’s famous photographs of the Crimean War (1853-1856). It was the first such photography to document a war that was taking place far from England, but the modern techniques used, including wood-block printing, enabled the public to get a good view of the ongoing campaign.

Fenton had a mobile darkroom that enabled him to produce his photographs continuously, like an early version of a camera phone. He took many shots of landscapes filled with tents and troops, as well as portraits of the officers and soldiers, but the best is an image called Valley of the Shadow of Death. In this, a dirt road leading to Sevastopol is scattered with cannonballs after heavy shelling from the Russian side. It has to be said, though, that these early versions of the camera restricted Fenton to only depicting things that were not moving, and he was not allowed to portray the dead and wounded on the battlefield. However, he was still able to capture a realistic and brutal portrait of war, making him a truly important pioneer in the early days of photography.

As photography was increasingly taking over the role of portraiture and documentation, painters were finding their work was becoming obsolete. This led to a surge in creativity and new directions in painting in the early 1900s, such as cubism, futurism, suprematism and constructivism. New territories in art and society were being explored. And when Dada and Surrealism erupted there seemed to be no limits to artistic freedom.

In 1913, the artist Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky, 1890-1976) visited the (in)famous art show the Armory Show in New York. He was greatly inspired by the top avant-garde artists of the era he saw there, and by Duchamp‘s intellectual approach in particular. He became an exhibiting artist using mainly painting and objects. But on finding himself dissatisfied with the photographers who were documenting his paintings, he started to do it himself. He proved to be very good at it, and so helped other artists document their work, while also painting many portraits of them. He quickly understood the versatility and possibilities of photography, and started experimenting with both film and photography in a Dadaist and Surrealistic manner.

He invented his “rayographs” by composing symbolic images in the darkroom, and made beautiful images using the solarisation process with the help of his stylish girlfriend at the time, Lee Miller, whose eye can be seen in the artwork Indestructible Object (1923). He even did fashion shoots with Vogue and created several iconic works that really set the standard for avant-garde fashion photography. Indeed, Man Ray’s own great versatility makes him one of the most important artists/photographers of the era. Even though photography had been introduced as an art form by this time, it was a while before the public accepted it.

Great art was still dominated by painting. When the then successful illustrator Andy Warhol (born Andrew Warhola, 1928-1987) wanted to become an artist in the late 1950s he found it hard to choose the style and imagery he wanted to use. After discussions with fellow artists and friends he realised he should work with the world around him, especially that of American advertising, which was experiencing a golden age at the time.

He quickly discovered how to work with the art world and, by using photography as his main source, he created some of the most famous works in the history of modern and contemporary art. He understood how to create art without having to sit in the studio and paint endlessly, and he turned his famous Factory studio into exactly that: a factory producing silkscreen paintings with the same motifs in different sizes and colour combinations, for example the Flowers series (1964-1965), which were based on a photograph by Patricia Caulfield, as well as the Marilyn paintings (1962), for which the image was taken from a publicity photo of Marilyn Monroe for the film Niagara. Clever indeed, as he made long series of these paintings compared with large editions of photographs and prints. His works are still original paintings, but many are available and yet they retain the value of an original.

Warhol understood how to make an interesting story with his art and the people associated with his Factory. He also recognised the importance of having in-house photographers. The first one was Billy Name, known for documenting the early silver era of the Factory. His work can be seen in the classic exhibition catalogue Andy Warhol, from the retrospective held at Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1968. Warhol wanted to find the most instant and rewarding way to get his images and was always interested in what new technology had to offer.

His early portraits using the screen-print technique were often an assemblage of photo strips from photo booths usually found in New York’s Subway stations. An example is the magnificent work Ethel Scull 36 Times (1963), for which Warhol sent the millionairess down to the photo booth at Times Square to get a good array of snapshots. After this period he moved on to use his favourite instrument, the Polaroid camera. With this Warhol could go anywhere and get the images for his silkscreen portraits. He was overjoyed by the images produced by the Polaroid because the wrinkles on people’s faces vanished. He used the Polaroid Big Shot model, which was produced solely for portraits and had a flash diffuser, which created the soft light and tone that he loved.

When compact cameras appeared in the late 1970s, Warhol took an instant liking to the makes Minox, Olympus and Konica, especially when everything became automated and included features such as the built-in flash and autofocus. He took his camera to all VIP events and clubs such as Studio 54, taking snapshots of the in-crowd – Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger and all the cool kids. He gave the public a direct view of them relaxing in private and in a happy mood. It all resulted in the brilliant book Exposures in 1979, which was put together by Christopher Makos, the in-house photographer from the late 1970s to the 1980s.

Every night Warhol gave him all the exposed film he had used and Makos would choose five images from every roll and make photographs of them. All this, combined with Warhol’s recordings from his encounters with the glitterati, his gossipy phone calls the morning after events and the fact that he had his own magazine – Interview – made him a precursor of what is happening in today’s social media. He would have been thrilled with Facebook, Instagram and all the other similar platforms currently available and the swift way you can spread your nonsense. But comparing prices for his paintings to the prices of fine-art photography is breath-taking: last November, Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) (1963) went for $105 million – quite a leap from the photographs mentioned at the beginning of this piece.

Great art was still dominated by painting. When the then successful illustrator Andy Warhol (born Andrew Warhola, 1928-1987) wanted to become an artist in the late 1950s he found it hard to choose the style and imagery he wanted to use. After discussions with fellow artists and friends he realised he should work with the world around him, especially that of American advertising, which was experiencing a golden age at the time.

He quickly discovered how to work with the art world and, by using photography as his main source, he created some of the most famous works in the history of modern and contemporary art. He understood how to create art without having to sit in the studio and paint endlessly, and he turned his famous Factory studio into exactly that: a factory producing silkscreen paintings with the same motifs in different sizes and colour combinations, for example the Flowers series (1964-1965), which were based on a photograph by Patricia Caulfield, as well as the Marilyn paintings (1962), for which the image was taken from a publicity photo of Marilyn Monroe for the film Niagara. Clever indeed, as he made long series of these paintings compared with large editions of photographs and prints. His works are still original paintings, but many are available and yet they retain the value of an original.

Warhol understood how to make an interesting story with his art and the people associated with his Factory. He also recognised the importance of having in-house photographers. The first one was Billy Name, known for documenting the early silver era of the Factory. His work can be seen in the classic exhibition catalogue Andy Warhol, from the retrospective held at Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1968. Warhol wanted to find the most instant and rewarding way to get his images and was always interested in what new technology had to offer.

In 2000 the first camera phone was introduced to the market; it was a starting point of a whole new era. But instant availability really exploded when Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, a smartphone with a touch screen that connected to the internet and, more importantly, the new social networks that were appearing. We were now in possession of one of the greatest weapons of truth. Wrongdoings and crimes could be displayed in an instant; everybody is a now reporter. For good or bad, billions of images are transmitted via the internet each hour. But looking at today’s selfies, food pictures and the endless flow of cute little animals can become frightfully boring and uncreative. There is still a great need for creative photographers and artists to pave the way for us ordinary users of the camera. Looking at the work of two photographers of today we can see a more artistic and enigmatic attitude emerging and they seem to have a liking for the classic black and white photo. The artist Jenny Källman (born 1973) uses photography as her main medium. She often depicts young women in the exterior, showing no or very little action. The images have a snapshot/documentary feel but they are deliberately arranged. It’s a private world we are attending as an onlooker and we have a hard time understanding what is going on. A feeling of uncertainty evolves into something unpleasant, but it is hard to put your finger on it. The black and white images are excellently executed and Källman has succeeded in creating her own solemn world. Her latest book, Surveillance, contains some of her best work.

The world of Hedi Slimane (born 1968), artist extraordinaire, is a totally different one. As the creator of the super-skinny silhouette for Dior Homme, Slimane is one of the most creative fashion designers of today. He is also a hugely accomplished photographer, often documenting youth culture in the larger metropolitan areas. The portfolios Berlin and London – Birth of a Cult are just two great examples of his oeuvre. Slimane has since taken over the creative direction of Yves Saint Laurent, now renamed Saint Laurent Paris, and turned the old brand into a very hip and young label (yet expensive). He also does a lot of the photography used in the brand’s advertising campaigns. The imagery is always of youth with a touch of outsider rock’n’roll attitude. He has teamed up with some of the more famous icons from the rock circuit, and is planning to turn his customers into white-faced, black-eyed, depraved-looking rockers clad in tight black outfits. He uses the chiaroscuro technique for his portraits, which gives a feeling of the Hollywood-noir style. The photos have a serene feel, a kind of determination; this is his trademark. Both Källman and Slimane glance in the rear-view mirror, but they transfer their versions with a contemporary stance. For photography the road now lies open, and it is controlled by its users – you, dear reader. But it is not the technique that matters so much, it is the understanding and acceptance of the odd minority and gender equality that sets the new standards, especially as seen in the work of these latter two artists.

Credits: Words by Axel Mörner

Links: Man Ray exhibition shows at Millesgården until June 8, 2014, Andreas Gursky courtesy of the artist. Andy Warhol: Fondazione Roma Museo, Palazzo Cipolla, Rome (until Sept 28, 2014) Untitled #96 (1981) by Cindy Sherman, courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures. Andy Warhol photographs Danziger Gallery. Hedi Slimane photographs courtesy of the artist’s website.