Art and politics as usual
Two public lectures and an exhibition
Katz Chair Lecture by Daniel Richter
October 21, 6:30pm
Gwathmey Chair Lecture by Thomas Hirschhorn
October 24, 6:30pm
Opening Reception of Lene Berg’s solo exhibition
October 29, 6-9pm
East 7th Street and Third Avenue
New York, NY 10003
The Cooper Union School of Art is pleased to present Art and politics as usual, a one-time series of programming that explores the political power of the visual arts. Art and politics as usual launches on October 21 with a public lecture in The Great Hall by Berlin and Hamburg-based painter Daniel Richter who has been invited as the 2008 Alex Katz Chair in Painting. This prestigious endowed chair, established by The Cooper Union School of Art alumnus and former trustee Alex Katz, was created in 2002 to bring distinguished international painters to participate in the academic program of the School of Art. Richter, known for deconstructing historical moments and depicting violence, instability, and apocalyptic energy through painting, will speak about his work.
The second event in this series, a public lecture by Thomas Hirschhorn, the 2008 Robert Gwathmey Chair in Art and Architecture, is on October 24, also in The Great Hall. Hirschhorn’s talk, entitled Doing Art Politically: What Does This Mean?, precedes a weekend long critical workshop Energy: Yes! Quality: No! for a pre-registered group of Cooper Union students. Best known for his provocative installations constructed from tape, cardboard, foil, and images and texts culled from the mass media, Swiss-born artist Thomas Hirschhorn often works site-specifically, outside the gallery.
The final event is an exhibition entitled Stalin by Picasso or Portrait of Woman with Moustache by Norwegian artist Lene Berg. Staged in two locations, the Arthur A. Houghton, Jr. Gallery on the second floor of The Cooper Union’s Foundation Building, and on the south façade of the building, the exhibition reflects on political portraiture and the power of drawing. Stalin by Picasso began as a video project in which Berg traces the consequences for Picasso following his drawing of Stalin after his death in 1953. In addition to this video, the exhibition will also include an experimental documentary about the CIA’s anti-communist cultural initiatives during the Cold War. This exhibition is made possible with generous support from the Office for Contemporary Art and Larsen + Pilgaard.
Both Daniel Richter and Thomas Hirschhorn’s lectures are held in The Great Hall in The Cooper Union Foundation Building at East 7th Street and Third Avenue. Lene Berg’s Stalin by Picasso and Portrait of Woman with Moustache will be on view from October 29 – December 6, Tuesday through Saturday from 12 to 6pm.
For more information: 212.353.4200
