The Lineage of Dada in American Abstract Expressionism: Curator and Author Catherine Craft

Presented October 13, 2012 at the Nasher Sculpture Center.

In celebration of the release of her book, ‘An Audience of Artists: Dada, Neo-Dada and the Emergence of Abstract Expressionism’, Nasher Sculpture Center Associate Curator Catherine Craft presents a lecture on Marcel Duchamp, Robert Motherwell and the Origins of Neo-Dada.

The term “Neo-Dada” surfaced in New York in the late 1950s and was used to characterize young artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns whose art appeared at odds with the serious emotional and painterly interests of the then-dominant movement, Abstract Expressionism. Neo-Dada quickly became the word of choice in the early 1960s to designate experimental art, including assemblage, performance, Pop art, and nascent forms of minimal and conceptual art. ‘An Audience of Artists’ turns this time line for the postwar New York art world on its head, presenting a new pedigree for these artistic movements. Tracing the activities of artists such as Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, and Jackson Pollock alongside Marcel Duchamp’s renewed embrace of Dada in the late 1940s, Craft composes a subtle exploration of the challenges facing artists trying to work in the wake of a destructive world war and the paintings, objects, writings, and installations that resulted from their efforts.

Catherine Craft is associate curator at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas and an independent scholar specializing in the history of twentieth-century art, especially Dada, Abstract Expressionism, and Neo-Dada. She is the author of ‘Robert Rauschenberg’ (Phaidon Press, 2013), ‘An Audience of Artists: Dada, Neo-Dada and the Emergence of Abstract Expressionism’ (University of Chicago, 2012), and ‘Jasper Johns’ (Parkstone, 2009). She is currently at work on ‘Wayward’, a companion volume to ‘An Audience of Artists’ and is curating the 2015 exhibition ‘Melvin Edwards: Five Decades’ for the Nasher. As a senior research fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Craft conceived and co-curated the 2011 exhibition ‘Paper Trails: Selected Works from the Permanent Collection 1934-2001’. At the Nasher, she has written catalogue essays on Isamu Noguchi, Katharina Grosse, Lara Almarcegui, Rachel Harrison, and Liz Larner. A regular contributor to ‘The Burlington Magazine’ (London), Craft has also presented talks at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.; and Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven.

The Nasher Sculpture Center’s ongoing 360 Speaker Series features conversations and lectures on the ever-expanding definition of sculpture. Guests are invited to witness first-hand accounts of the inspiration behind some of the world’s most innovative artwork, architecture and design.

Find out more about the 360 Speaker Series and view presentation by past speakers at http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/360
Stay in touch with the Nasher Sculpture Center via social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NasherSculptureCenter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nashersculpture
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nashersculpture/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nashersculpturecenter/
Periscope: http://www.periscope.tv/nashersculpture

The 360 videography project is supported by Suzanne and Ansel Aberly. This support enables digital recording of all 360 Speaker Series programs and the creation of an online archive for learners of all ages.

Nasher Sculpture Center

Source