The Curatorial Avant-Garde: Surrealism and Exhibition Practice in France, 1925-1941

This book reminds me of Dark Matter, a recent book on the current state of art shows. It seems that in post WWI France, art shows were more of a “guerilla” effort, with art being displayed in storefronts, apartment, or improvised public venues (without permission of the authorities.) Dadaism had come along, and Marcel Duchamp’s found-object pieces were getting him a lot of attention. Man Ray’s minimalist photos were being shown in storefront windows, and in Germany, there were countless art shows in converted factories.

Perhaps the origin of all this is the availability of spaces in post WWI France? So many men were killed that there was a surplus of everything. More women were in the workforce, and old norms and mores were vanishing. The public tolerance was more open to weird behavior, no better illustrated than the name “Dada.” My research shows that the word mean “wooden rocking horse,” and if you’re wondering how the movement got its name, history says that an artist flipped through a dictionary and randomly put his finger in. The word he stopped on was Dada. Another page or so, and the movement might’ve been called “eggplant.”

One of the most interesting chapters was on the aspects of colonialism in the era. There were massive exhibitions of the French colonies in Paris from the 1920’s onward, and they made colonialism look great. Beautiful posters advertising the exhibits in bright colors, and huge halls full of art, weapons, photos, costumes, and souvenirs from the French colonies in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the West Indies. Even the left wing presses were impressed, and few gave any thought to the injustices of colonialism. The French viewed the exotic colonies and their peoples as the “sunshine” to their rainy cities.

In tough economic times, the chance of selling artwork often diminishes, as is occurring now. The result is always the same; artists move to cheaper cities, and they care less about making the artwork “pleasing.” Knowing they won’t be able to sell, they indulge in all manner of unusual (and often silly) activities, arousing controversy and acclaim at the same time. Take for instance the massive attention given to graffiti artists in Brooklyn, New York. It’s far cheaper to paint in spray paint on someone else’ wall than to buy canvas and oils, and you don’t have to worry about fitting a giant canvas into a tiny apartment.

Best of all, you get to have your artwork displayed for all to see. Like it or not, they’ll have no choice but to look at it, at least until someone whitewashes it.