Funding Credits

Bruce Nauman: Topological Gardens, the official U.S. representation at the 53rd International Art Exhibition—La Biennale di Venezia, is organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and presented in collaboration with the Università Iuav di Venezia and the Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia, with the support of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

Major support for the U.S. exhibition is provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Henry Luce Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.

Additional funding is generously provided by Agnes Gund, Maja Oeri and Hans Bodenmann, Sperone Westwater Gallery, and many other Friends of Bruce Nauman, including the Donald Young Gallery, Chicago, and Dr. Friedrich Christian Flick; Barbara B. and Theodore R. Aronson, The Broad Art Foundation, Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond Learsy, Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz, Jaimie and David Field, Gemini G.E.L., Glenstone, the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, Jeanne and Michael Klein, Jill and Peter Kraus, Rachel and Jean-Pierre Lehmann, Palazzo Grassi, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, the Sender Collection, Peter and Mari Shaw, and Sotheby’s, with an in-kind contribution from Codess Cultura.  Additional support was provided by Clarissa and Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Borja Coca, Dorothee Fischer/Konrad Fischer Galerie, Marion Stroud Swingle, Selma and Joseph Vandermolen, and Robin Wright and Ian Reeves. 

The accompanying catalogue has been made possible by Isabel and Agustín Coppel.

At Ca’ Foscari, the exhibition is sponsored by FriulAdria - Crédit Agricole.

Credits complete as of May 12, 2009

 

 

Exhibition Acknowledgments

For those of us who have spent time in Venice for any certain period of time, the trials and tribulations that often accompany an extended interaction with such a fascinating city do not escape the memory. Perhaps this accounts for my initial perplexity when my colleague, Michael R. Taylor, The Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art, forwarded the official invitation to propose an exhibition for the U.S. Pavilion in the 2009 edition of the Venice Biennale. Knowing that I have been teaching at the Università Iuav di Venezia since 2004, Michael imagined that his suggestion might spark my enthusiasm. It did, but only after I overcame an initial wave of apprehension. As part of the curatorial team that organized the 2003 edition of the Biennale, I remember the impossible heat of that blazing summer, the simmering crowds, the bewildering installation process, and the endless, sleepless nights of the week before the opening. It was hard for me to imagine going back to Venice to relive these moments while working on a complex, large-scale exhibition.

One could say that the quick answer to all of my hesitations was Bruce Nauman. At that time in the summer of 2007, the Museum embarked on the journey to acquire one of his most iconic works, the 1967 neon sign that carries the mythical inscription: The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truths. With Nauman very much on our minds, it became clear that Venice was a suitable city for exploring his work—a city full of accidental beauty and inviting complexity, where use determines form, and form determines social interaction in a circular and spiraling logic. Venice is both an overexposed city of tourists and a place full of secrets, where what is hidden is revealed in the same movement as that which is thought to be evident becomes obscured. The context of organizing an exhibition for the U.S. Pavilion proved to be an opportunity to understand Venice while rediscovering Nauman's work—and in doing so, unpacking the very notion of national representation. It was readily evident that there would be no better chance and no context more suitable in which to study Nauman's work.

Anne d'Harnoncourt fully understood all of the possibilities and complexities involved in such an endeavor from our very initial conversations. Twenty-one years ago, the Philadelphia Museum of Art organized an exhibition of the recent work of Jasper Johns at the Pavilion, and the temporal distance from that occasion had not extinguished the delights and sorrows of that project in her mind. She therefore responded to our curiosity with a delighted caution that took very little to become ardent enthusiasm. She supported us, as a director but also as a curator, in a way that was hers and unique, and her constant advice and involvement in the project meant the world to us. In a museum that is proud to be the home of the most comprehensive collection of works by Marcel Duchamp and to offer its audience the possibility of exploring Jasper Johns's work in a room solely devoted to him, the choice to work with Bruce Nauman was self-evident. All three of these artists share a basic philosophical position about the possibilities of art and the role of the artist. Their work is, as Anne would say, "about ideas," and the way in which those ideas are connected to an intuitive yet systematic questioning of the very definition of what art is or could be.

Since we had never met Bruce Nauman, we looked to his long-time dealer, Angela Westwater, to guide us in the delicate task—the first of many—of presenting our initial ideas to Bruce and his studio assistant, Juliet Myers. Working with Angela Westwater has certainly been an extremely rewarding aspect of this project, and her graceful directness has provided sound orientation through the sometimes-labyrinthine preparations for the exhibition. Acting both as a contemporary Virgil and Beatrice, she has firmly and tactfully helped us tour both heaven and hell. The kind collaboration of Angela's gallery staff, especially Michael Short and Jennifer Burbank, should be noted as well.

Encouraged and enthused by the artist's support, we worked round the clock to put forth a proposal to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State (ECA). After the selection process, in which the Federal Advisory Committee on International Exhibitions unanimously recommended our project, we were met with the cooperative spirit of Colombia Barrosse, Cultural Programs Division Chief. Working with Colombia and the State Department has truly been both a privilege and pleasure for the Museum.

If Venice is indeed a labyrinth full of unexpected Minotaurs distractedly waiting in the most charming corners, then again guidance is absolutely key, and Marco De Michelis was undoubtedly the thread that led the way. In his former role as Dean of the School of Art and Design at the Università Iuav, he supported this project from its very first stages, understanding it to be a unique opportunity for a collaboration between the U.S. Pavilion and two of the most prestigious educational institutions in Venice—Iuav and Università Ca' Foscari—even though this type of partnership had very few antecedents. His thoughtful contributions both to this catalogue and to my own thoughts on Nauman took place in the form of innumerable conversations on both sides of the Atlantic. Finally, it is Marco's richly textured voice that we hear at the end of the sequence of Giorni —Nauman's sound installation that the artist produced working with students in Venice that we are premiering in this exhibition.

Putting together an exhibition that will take place thousands of miles away from its organizing institution is no easy task and required much time and passionate dedication of the Museum staff. After Anne's passing, Gail Harrity, the Museum's Interim Chief Executive Officer, and Alice Beamesderfer, Interim Head of Curatorial Affairs, carried the torch with an unwavering commitment. Without their support at that crucial and extremely critical time, we would not have been able to accomplish our goals. A large team was assembled in Philadelphia to work on the preparations for the show, led by the patient enthusiasm of Erica F. Battle, whose responsibility in the realization of the project is, simply stated, enormous. Systematically tackling the myriad aspects regarding the exhibition and its catalogue, Erica's reassuring presence, and her truly invaluable curatorial input, kept us all, as one may say, on safe ground—no little feat, when talking of Venice. In the Modern and Contemporary Art Department she was first aided by Lauren Bergman, our former Administrative Assistant, who, in the project's early stages, hand-delivered the proposal to the Department of State in Washington, D.C. Roberta Nuzzaci joined the department from Italy as a Curatorial Intern, and became absolutely indispensable for the project, playing the invaluable role of mediating the Museum's many communications with Venice. Jennifer Wilkinson, Research Assistant, greatly helped us by devoting herself to coordinating multiple aspects of the catalogue, from rights and reproductions to editorial matters.

Realizing the many facets of this extremely complex project ultimately involved Museum staff beyond our Modern and Contemporary Department. We found consistent, diligent, and priceless help in the wise advice and passionate persistence of Suzanne F. Wells, Director of Exhibitions Planning, and Zoe Kahr, Assistant Director of Exhibitions Planning; the endless resourcefulness and good will of Jack Schlechter, the Museum's Installations Designer, as well as the meticulousness of Kate Higgins in the project's early stages; the dedication and exactitude of Wynne Kettell, Associate Registrar for Special Exhibitions; and the expert advice and technical assistance of Stephen A. Keever, Manager of Audio-Visual Production. Sherry Babbitt, The William T. Ranney Director of Publishing, guided us through the intricacies of creating this catalogue under the tightest of schedules; David Updike, Editor, and Richard Bonk, Book Production Manager, crucially stepped in to assist the production of the book in its final moments. Ruth Abrahams, Director of Editorial and Graphic Design, aided with the vision and production of the exhibition brochure and additional printed materials. In the Conservation Department, Sally Malenka, Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, both advised us about the care needed for Nauman's objects and researched components for works that were refabricated for this occasion. Kelly O'Brien, Director of Individual Giving, assisted by Emily Magnuson, Major Gifts Assistant, capably led the undertaking of fundraising for the exhibition. Joseph J. Rishel, the Museum's Gisela and Dennis Alter Senior Curator of European Painting before 1900, also provided us with invaluable guidance, support, and, perhaps most importantly, constant inspiration.

Norman Keyes, Interim Director of Marketing and Public Relations, as well as Elisabeth Flynn, Senior Press Officer, fully dedicated themselves to working with the press in regards to this project. In this arena of media relations, the Museum worked with John Melick, Antoine Vigne, and Kellie Honeycutt of Blue Medium, who provided useful insights into the intricate workings of the Biennale and much organizational efforts for and leading up to the Vernissage.

Without the collaborative spirit of many individuals and institutions in Venice, a show of this kind would be lost in translation. The three institutions that worked with the Museum to host Topological Gardens stand out in this regard. At the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Philip Rylands, Director, and Chiara Barbieri, Manager of Publications and Special Projects, along with many others on staff, welcomed our ideas and helped endlessly to ensure that they came to fruition at the U.S. Pavilion. At the Iuav, we found early and enthusiastic support in Rector Carlo Magnani and former Dean Marco De Michelis, whose steadfast encouragement was upheld by Medardo Chiapponi, Dean, and the technical advice and aid of Ciro Palermo, Ufficio Tecnico—all of whom allowed us to transform their main lecture hall and other student spaces into a site for the exhibition. At Ca' Foscari, Rector Pier Francesco Ghetti and Giuseppe Barbieri, Exhibitions Director and Chair of the History of Art and Conservation Department, generously opened the doors of the newly renovated Exhibition Spaces at Ca' Foscari to host the artist and the Museum. There, Stefania Amerighi, Project Manager, tirelessly worked with our staff on planning for all elements of installation.

In addition, the following individuals aided us immeasurably with on-the-ground coordination that proved essential to the project: Jill Weinreich, On-site Coordinator, helped us in installation; Gilda Zaffagnini of Nexa was responsible for the wonderful events planned in celebration of the artist; and Eleonora Charans, Project Coordinator, assisted with the initial planning for the exhibition, the coordination of trips to Venice with the artist and Museum team, and the production of Giorni. We thank Bruce Hamilton, Nauman's technical advisor, for lending us his expertise to install Giorni and Days in Venice.

We would also like to thank various staff members of the 53rd International Art Exhibition—La Biennale di Venezia, who have bravely galvanized the organization of all seventy-seven pavilions this year: Paolo Baratta, President, and Andrea del Mercato, General Director, of the Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia; Beate Barner, Head of the Press Office for Visual Arts; Roberto Rosolen, National Pavilion Participation Manager; and Manuela Lucà Dazio, Managing Director, Visual Arts and Architecture Department.

We also owe our gratitude to those that contributed to the making of this superb catalogue: Mischa Leiner, assisted by Franck Doussot, at CoDe. New York, provided the creative and careful design; David Frankel meticulously edited the contents, which Elena Cimenti painstakingly translated with alacrity; Marguerite Shore swiftly generated the English translation of Marco De Michelis's essay. Roberta Nuzzaci found another way to help the project by acting as an Italian proofreader. In the Museum's Photography Studio, Graydon Wood, Andrea Nuñez, and especially Jason Wierzbicki provided much help with images. The essays by the catalogue authors who have been mentioned in their additional capacities—Michael R. Taylor, Marco De Michelis, and Erica F. Battle—are also joined by an account by Susanna Carlisle, who wrote to Bruce of her experience hearing his new sound installation. We are thankful to her for agreeing to publish her intimate and lucid text.

The lenders to Topological Gardens have shown their incontrovertible appreciation of Bruce Nauman by generously dedicating their works for a six-month loan period to the exhibition—for which our thanks is unending. Though enumerated on the Lenders to the Exhibition page, many individuals in institutions and otherwise are especially thanked: Alfred Pacquement, Director at the National Museum of Modern Art, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Sir Nicholas Serota, Director at the Tate, London; Glenn D. Lowry, Director at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Madeleine Grynsztejn, Pritzker Director, and Elisabeth Smith, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Sjarel Ex, Director at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; Richard Koshalek, Director, and Kerry Brougher, Chief Curator, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; Maxwell Anderson, The Melvin and Bren Simon Director and CEO, and Lisa Freiman, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art; Mary Livingston Beebe, Director of the Stuart Collection at the University of California, San Diego; Udo Kittelmann, Director of the National Gallery, Berlin; and Dr. Eugen Blume, Head of the Hamburger Bahnhof, which oversees the Sammlung Marx.

We are also greatly appreciative of the Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation; the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection; and the François Pinault Foundation. Many individuals also parted with their exquisite examples of Nauman's works, including: Dorothee and Konrad Fischer; Jack and Nell Wendler; Marc and Livia Straus; Donald Young; Isabel and Agustín Coppel; Rachel and Jean-Pierre Lehmann; anonymous private collectors; and the artist. We are also thankful that Joseph D. Ketner, former Chief Curator at the Milwaukee Art Museum, thoughtfully and generously offered us the use of neon exhibition copies from his show Elusive Signs: Bruce Nauman Works with Light, and, together with the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, he can be credited for the presence of My Name As Though It Were Written on the Surface of the Moon (1968) in the exhibition.

Throughout the two-year journey of planning this exhibition, Juliet Myers has remained a constant fulcrum of enthusiastic and sound advice. As Nauman's studio assistant of twenty-two years, Juliet worked closely with the curatorial team and dedicated a constantly increasing amount of time to this project—for which our gratitude is unending. Juliet not only facilitated the extraordinarily copious details involved in this project but also fostered our efforts to realize an exhibition that would, in all of its aspects, appropriately honor Bruce in Venice.

Absolutely nothing has been more rewarding than working with Bruce Nauman. Only ten days after Anne died unexpectedly on June 1, 2008, Bruce arrived in Venice for a crucial planning trip. Working with him has allowed us to stay as close to Anne as is imaginable. Her deep and sincere admiration for his work corresponded intimately with the close attention that Bruce has given to the project, and with the patience with which he has treated our unending questions. Working for Anne gave us the distinct feeling that we were constantly learning, so that every minute spent with her became precious. The experience of working with Bruce has been exactly like that. We knew from our first conversations how much we would miss our constant interaction with him once the show opened.

Finally, it is very clear for us that we would not have been able to devote ourselves fully to this exhibition without the loving support of our families: Mónica Amor, Lucas and Maya Emilia Basualdo, Sarah Powers and Emma Rose Taylor, and Steven Battle. For those who are here as much as for those who are not, this is our way of honoring you all.

Carlos Basualdo
Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Curator of Contemporary Art