Gregory Battcock (1937–1980)

Happened upon this paperback in a thrift store recently and took a gamble on picking it up mainly because of the eye-catching cover. I also have a penchant for critical anthologies. To be honest, there is a lot in here that I began scanning through after the first quarter, mainly because some of this stuff is really dry. However, realizing that certain concerns of artists and critics then are related, if not the same as now is where my enjoyment of the entire book lay. Especially where concerning the commodification of art. Amongst the critical essays and brochure introductions, my favorite is definitely The Dilemna by Lucy Lippard; most of what she talks about is very relevant today. Honorable mentions go to The Creative Act by Marcel Duchamp and William S. Wilson III for Art: Energy and Attention. Would I recommend this book to anyone? If you are really into art criticism and want some grounding on what was in the air of the world of art circa 1966 to 1973 then yes.… (mere)

Even though I have a somewhat lower opinion of Battcock as an art critic than I do of, say, Lucy Lippard, I reckon that this might still be one of the earlier & more substantial bks on the subject. Besides wch, this is an anthology so there're a fair amt of people represented including Lippard & Yvonne Rainer - w/ the latter writing about minimalism in dance - an area that's probably somewhat critically neglected in contrast to painting, music, & sculpture (or maybe, given that I'm not much of a dance buff, I just don't know about it).

There's plenty of crossover or ambiguity here as to whether people are minimalists or conceptual artists, etc, & that results in the inclusion of Mel Bochner writing about Sol LeWitt, eg. There're even 2 kinetic sculptures pictured from 1966 by Hans Haacke - an artist of special interest to me b/c of his detailed political researches. Haacke, if I remember correctly, was offered a Guggenheim show from wch he was then rejected b/c his show involved a detailed exposé of where Guggenheim money came from. Go get 'em Hans!

& there's plenty of other noteworthy work shown that I wdn't associate w/ minimalism at all but wch I'm glad is presented here: Edward Kienholz, Joseph Kosuth, Marc Morrel, Claes Oldenburg, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Marcel Duchamp, Robert Rauschenberg, etc, etc.. Yet another bk I'd reread if I had the time - even though I find much art theory to be spurious.… (mere)

Gregory Battcock was a primary NYC art world critic (if only in terms of being widely published) - somewhat in the same league as Lucy Lippard. I think I read one other bk by him: "Minimal Art". I only have a vague memory of reading that & the vague memory includes thinking that it was somewhat intellectually superficial. Of course, such a review as this is even more intellectually superficial so such a comment on my part shd be taken w/ a grain of salt.

I did write notes in "Breaking the Sound Barrier" & they're none-too-flattering: In the front I wrote: "This book is full of 'music' & 'shoulds' - E.G. "Music should be logical" - the very "nihilism" that many of these people argue against in their desperate attachment to their concept of "music" serves as a good reminder of "why" I do what I do-do.." On the top of the contents page I wrote: "All in all an interesting book if only because it demonstrates so amply how bogged down in "intellectual" garbage most of these people are.."

Looking thru the contents now, I wonder if Battcock even had much of an interest in the subject or whether he was just making a living by cranking out another art-world pot-boiler. Probably the latter. There are a few interesting people in there who might ordinarily be NOT included in such an anthology: Dick Higgins, eg. On the other hand, there are at least 2 composers (whose names I won't drop) who I personally feel are 2 of the most dismal academic hacks I've ever run across AND I LIKE ACADEMIC CLASSICAL MUSIC.

There's an article by Cornelius Cardew. Cardew wrote a bk called "Stockhausen Serves Inperialism" that I forever regret not having picked up a copy of when I had the chance. Cardew was the main founder of the "Scratch Orchestra" - one of the most interesting collaborative projects that I know of. As such, I always have an interest in what he has to say. However, politically he was a Maoist - a variety of authoritarianism that I find just as objectionable as all the rest of them. Anyway, I wrote a note next to Cardew's listing in the Table of Contents: "Oi Veh! Do I disagree! But it's still a good article anyway!"… (mere)