June 13, 2012–January 7, 2013
Luis Camnitzer’s Living Room: Model for an Environment (1968) looks like a modest book when closed; unfolded and tied together, it transforms into an architectural model in which the objects (rug, bookshelf, door) are represented, but only by name. This early example of text-based art reflects Camnitzer’s discovery, he said, “that a written description of a visual situation was as effective as an image.” (The following year, he realized a life-size version of Living Room, modeled on this book.) A similarly inventive project, Man (1967), by Liliana Porter, exploits printmaking’s potential for the sequencing of images, suggesting stop-motion animation: over 10 plates, a figure advances to fill the frame and then retreats. These acquisitions help the Museum document the print workshops that influenced the course of contemporary art. The New York Graphic Workshop was established in 1964 by Camnitzer, Porter, and José Guillermo Castillo, who had recently relocated from Montevideo, Buenos Aires, and Caracas, respectively. Prioritizing artistic innovation over technical training, the workshop focused on printmaking’s potential for seriality, reproducibility, and broad distribution, reflecting a key moment in the history of Conceptual art.
