FIRST U.S. EXHIBITION OF THE DRAWINGS OF ANTONIN ARTAUD AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
Antonin Artaud: Works on Paper
October 3, 1996–January 7, 1997
The first American exhibition of the drawings of Antonin Artaud (1896–1948)
opens at The Museum of Modern Art on October 3, 1996. One of this century's
most influential and compelling literary figures, Artaud is best known for his
"Theater of Cruelty," a project based on his vision of cruelty as truth and as
a transforming experience.Antonin Artaud: Works on Paper
reveals that Artaud was also an accomplished artist whose drawings record the
harrowing images that populated his troubled mind. The exhibition provides the
first opportunity in this country to examine the full extent of Artaud's art,
which has had a strong effect on the works of such artists as Georg Baselitz,
Jean Dubuffet, Kiki Smith, and Nancy Spero.
"Few graphic expressions in the twentieth century show the power and authentic
inner necessity seen in Artaud's drawings," said Margit Rowell, Chief Curator,
Department of Drawings, who organized the exhibition. "These works have come to
public attention in France only within the last decade. As they are a
distinctive phenomenon of our time, it appeared urgent to show them to an
American audience before this century comes to a close."
This exhibition was realized with the support of the collections of the
Musée National d'Art Moderne-Centre de Création
Industrielle/Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
Exhibition Content
Antonin Artaud: Works on Paper comprises approximately 70 works dating from
1937 to 1948. They include his "spells," or letters to friends scarred with
hieroglyphs, burns, and rips; a series of fractured and obsessional drawings,
created during Artaud's confinement in a psychiatric clinic in the South of
France; and a series of portraits and self-portraits executed after his
transfer to Ivry near Paris and his return to the Parisian intellectual world.
A small selection of photographs, first editions, and letters providing context
for the drawings are also on view.
Artaud's Life
Born in Marseilles in 1896, Artaud suffered early childhood illnesses which
induced a life-long drug addiction. In 1920 he moved to Paris where his
collaborations with André Breton, Balthus, and André Masson, and
his experiences as a film actor, stage director, writer, critic, and poet,
shaped his artistic vision. Pilgrimages to Mexico and Ireland in the 1930s were
marked by periods of creative output as well as psychological instability and
fragmentation. Confinements in psychiatric clinics in France marked his final
eleven years, yet this was the most productive phase of his life, during which
he drew and became a prolific writer.
Publication
The fully illustrated catalogue accompanying the exhibition is the first
comprehensive study of Artaud's drawings to be published in English, with
essays by Margit Rowell, Ronald Hayman, Agnès de la Beaumelle, and
Marthe Robert. Each drawing on exhibit is reproduced in the plate
section of the catalogue. Interviews with Kiki Smith, Patti Smith, and Nancy
Spero highlight Artaud's influence within contemporary culture. A chronology of
Artaud's life, a bibliography, and a list of exhibitions complete the
catalogue. Published by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, it contains 161
illustrations, 38 in color. Distributed in the United States and Canada by
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, it is available in The MoMA Book Store.
MoMA Special Events
October 10: Lecture by Jacques Derrida, co-author (with Paule
Thévenin) of Antonin Artaud (catalogue raisonné of the
drawings). 6:00 p.m, The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1. Tickets are available
at the Museum's lobby information desk beginning on October 1.
November 7: Benefit performance by Patti Smith. 8:00 p.m., The Roy and
Niuta Titus Theater 1. For tickets and information, please call 212/708.9680.
Artaud-related Programs Around New York City
October and November: An extensive program of readings, talks,
performances, and other events have been organized by The Drawing Center in
collaboration with MoMA. For schedule and information, please call The Drawing
Center, 212/219–2166.
October 24–27: Film series at Anthology Film Archives. For information,
please call 212/505–5181.
October 18: Panel discussion organized by the Anthropology Department, New
York University, at La Maison Française. For information, please call,
212/998–8750.
For further information or photographic materials, contact Alexandra Partow,
Assistant Director of Communications, 212/708–9756.
