Art and politics : a small history of art for social change since 1945

254 Pages·2013·308.166 MB·English

by  Mesch, Claudia

Claudia Mesch is Associate Professor at the
School of Art, Arizona State University. Her
publications include Joseph Beuys: The Reader
(edited with Viola Michely, I.B.Tauris and MIT
Press, 2007); and Modern Art at the Berlin Wall:
Demarcating Culture in the Cold War Germanys
(I.B.Tauris, 2008). She is founding editor of the
e-journal Journal of Surrealism and the Americas
(jsa.asu.edu).

TITLE PAGE – TBC
Published in 2013 by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd
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Distributed in the United States and Canada
Exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan
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Copyright © 2013 Claudia Mesch
The right of Claudia Mesch to be identified as the author of this work has
been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or
any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978 1 84885 109 2 (HB)
978 1 84885 110 8 (PB)
A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available
Text designed and typeset in Scala & Scala Sans by Tetragon, London
Printed and bound in Great Britain by T.J. International, Padstow, Cornwall
contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
1 ⋅ State-Sponsored Art During the Cold War 15
2 ⋅ Post-Colonial Identity and the 44
Civil-Rights Movement
3 ⋅ The Anti-War and Peace Movements 68
4 ⋅ Feminisms 99
5 ⋅ Gay Identity/Queer Art 125
6 ⋅ Environmental Art 148
7 ⋅ Anti-Globalization 175
Epilogue ⋅ protestAR: #OCCUPYWALLSTREET 200
and #arOCCUPYWALLSTREET
Notes 207
Further Reading 222
Index 234

list of
illustrations
Every effort has been made to secure copyright on illustrations
that are included in this book. In cases where information might
be incomplete, the author requests that such instances be com-
municated so that they might be remedied.
1.1 (p.17) Alexander Deineka, The Relay Baton round the Ring B (1947),
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
1.2 (p.20) André Fougeron, Parisian Women at the Market (Les Parisiennes
au marché, 1947–8) © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New
York/ADAGP, Paris.
1.3 (p.23) Renato Guttuso, The Discussion (La discussione, 1959–60) ©
2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SIAE, Rome;
© Tate, London 2012.
1.4 (p.26) Pablo Picasso, Massacre in Korea (Massacre en Corée, 1951),
Musée National Picasso, Paris © 2012 Estate of Pablo Picasso/
Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
1.5 (p.32) Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, Lumumba Independence (Lumumba
Indépendance, from the series History of Zaire, 1973–4), KIT
Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam.
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art and Politics
1.6 (p.32) Independence Square monument mosaics (2002), Luanda,
Angola.
1.7 (p.38) Sigmar Polke, The Higher Powers Command: Paint the Upper
Right Corner Black! (Höhere Wesen befahlen: rechte obere Ecke
schwarz malen!, 1969) © 2012 Estate of Sigmar Polke,
Cologne/ARS, New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.
1.8 (p.39) Eugen Schönebeck, Mao Tse-tung (1965) © 2012 Artists Rights
Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.
1.9 (p.40) Erró (Guðmundur Guðmundsson), New Jersey (1974) © 2012
Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris.
1.10 (p.41) Tseng Kwong Chi, New York, NY (Statue of Liberty) (1979)
(from Expeditionary Self-Portrait Series, 1979–89) ©
1979 Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc., New York, www.
tsengkwongchi.com.
1.11 (p.42) Erik Bulatov, Revolution-Perestroika (1988).
2.1 (p.47) Ernest Mancoba, Composition (1940), oil on canvas, 59 x
50 cm, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Mikael Andersen,
Copenhagen.
2.2 (p.50) Alexander “Skunder” Boghossian, Night Flight of Dread and
Delight (1964), North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh,
purchased with funds from the North Carolina State Art
Society (Robert F. Phifer Bequest), 98.6.
2.3 (p.52) Gavin Jantjes, Classify this Coloured (from the series A South
African Colouring Book, 1974–5) © Tate, London 2012.
2.4 (p.55) Romare Bearden, Conjur Woman (1964), Art © Romare
Bearden Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.
2.5 (p.58) Charles Wilbert White, Wanted Poster (1970), courtesy of the
artist and The Heritage Gallery.
2.6 (p.61) David Hammons, Injustice Case (1970), mixed media with
body print.
2.7 (p.62) Glenn Ligon, White #1 (1995), Hood Museum of Art,
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire; purchased
through the Phyllis and Bertram Geller 1937 Memorial Fund.
2.8 (p.64) Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, The Great Historical Figures of Our
Time (Les Grandes Figures historiques de notre temps, 1987–8),
Knowledge of the World, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, Nexus Press,
1998.
2.9 (p.66) Yinka Shonibare, Gallantry and Criminal Conversation (2002),
courtesy of James Cohan Gallery, New York.
viii
list of illustrations
2.10 (p.66) Georges Adéagbo, Explorer and Explorers Facing the History
of Exploration…! The World Theatre (L’Explorateur et les
explorateurs devant l’histoire de l’exploration…! Le Théâtre du
monde, 2002) © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New
York/ADAGP, Paris. Photo: © Stephan Köhler, courtesy of
jointadventures.org.
3.1 (p.71) David Davis, David Berger National Memorial (1975), Mandel
Jewish Community Center of Cleveland, Beachwood, Ohio.
3.2 (p.73) Ed Kienholz, The Portable War Memorial (1968), Ludwig
Museum, Cologne, Germany © Kienholz, courtesy of L.A.
Louver Gallery, Venice, California.
3.3 (p.75) Claes Oldenburg, Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks
(1969), Cor-Ten steel, aluminum; coated with resin and
painted with polyurethane enamel, Collection Yale University
Art Gallery, Gift of Colossal Keepsake Corporation © 1969
Claes Oldenburg.
3.4 (p.77) Yoko Ono and John Lennon, Amsterdam Bed-In (1969), Photo
by Ruud Hoff, courtesy of Yoko Ono.
3.5 (p.81) Nancy Spero, Soldiers Pushing Victims from Helicopter (1968),
Art © Estate of Nancy Spero/Licensed by VAGA, New York,
NY.
3.6 (p.83) Leon Golub, Vietnam III (1973), acrylic on linen, Collection
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, courtesy of
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York/www.feldmangallery.
com, Art © Estate of Leon Golub/Licensed by VAGA, New
York, NY.
3.7 (p.87) Poster Committee of the Art Workers’ Coalition (Fraser
Dougherty, Jon Hendricks, and Irving Petlin) and Ronald
L. Haeberle, Q: And babies? A: And babies (1970), offset
lithograph, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, Gift of
the Benefit for Attica Defense Fund, Digital Image © The
Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource,
NY.
3.8 (p.89) Martha Rosler, Red Stripe Kitchen (1967–72), photomontage,
courtesy of the artist.
3.9 (p.91) Dinh Q. Lê, Untitled (My Lai/Willem Dafoe Platoon) (2000),
chromogenic print and linen tape on board, Portland Art
Museum, Portland, Oregon, Museum Purchase: Robert Hale
Ellis Jr. Fund for the Blanche Eloise Day Ellis and Robert Hale
Ellis Memorial Collection, Accession number 2000.40.
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art and Politics
3.10 (p.93) Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Wonder Beirut #20,
Beirut by Night (1998–2007), lambda print mounted on
aluminum, courtesy of the artists and CRG Gallery.
3.11 (p.94) The Atlas Group/Walid Ra’ad, Fadl Fakhouri File, Fakhouri
Notebook 38, plates 57 and 58 (1989–2004) © Walid Ra’ad,
courtesy of Paula Cooper Gallery, New York.
3.12 (p.97) Harun Farocki, Eye/Machine II (2002), video still © Harun
Farocki, 2002, Courtesy of the artist.
4.1 (p.103) Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party (1979), mixed media © Judy
Chicago, 1979, Collection of the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Photo © Donald Woodman © 2012 Judy Chicago/Artists
Rights Society (ARS), New York.
4.2 (p.106) Betye Saar, The Liberation of Aunt Jemima (1972), mixed media
assemblage, Collection of University of California, Berkeley
Art Museum; purchased with the aid of funds from the
National Endowment for the Arts (selected by The Committee
for the Acquisition of Afro-American Art). Courtesy of Michael
Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY.
4.3 (p.108) Yolanda López, Portrait of the Artist as the Virgin of Guadalupe
(1978), UCLA Chicano/a Studies Center, courtesy of the artist.
4.4 (p.110) Hannah Wilke, S.O.S.—Starification Object Series, back (1974),
black-and-white gelatin silver print, Hannah Wilke Collection
& Archive, Los Angeles © Marsie, Emanuelle, Damon, and
Andrew Scharlatt/Licensed by VAGA, New York, DACS,
London.
4.5 (p.111) Joan Jonas, Organic Honey’s Vertical Roll (1972), still, courtesy
of Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York.
4.6 (p.115) Mary Kelly, Post-Partum Document: Documentation I, Analysed
Faecal Stains and Feeding Charts (1974), Perspex unit, white
card, diaper linings, plastic, sheeting, paper, ink, detail, 1 of 31
units, Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, courtesy of the artist.
4.7 (p.117) Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still No. 48 (1979), black-and-
white photograph, edition of 10, courtesy of the artist and
Metro Pictures, New York.
4.8 (p.118) Barbara Kruger, Untitled (It’s a Small World but Not if You
Have to Clean It) (1990), photographic silkscreen/vinyl ©
Barbara Kruger, Collection: Museum of Contemporary Art,
Los Angeles, courtesy of Mary Boone Gallery, New York.
4.9 (p.121) Shirin Neshat, Rapture (1999), production still © Shirin
Neshat, courtesy of Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels.
x