Acknowledgments

Cabañas, Kaira M.

Save Cite Share

Free

Acknowledgments

Kaira M. Cabañas

The Myth of Nouveau Réalisme: Art and the Performative in Postwar France

~This book is in many ways the result of my first encounter with the work of Raymond Hains on the occasion of his retrospective at the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) in 2001. At that time I had never seen, read, or been taught about décollage, even though prominent critics in the United States such as Benjamin Buchloh had already...

Author

Kaira M. Cabañas

PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-21988

Acknowledgments

This book is in many ways the result of my first encounter with the work of Raymond Hains on the occasion of his retrospective at the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) in 2001. At that time I had never seen, read, or been taught about décollage, even though prominent critics in the United States such as Benjamin Buchloh had already seriously engaged with such work. To me, Hains’s appropriation of torn posters presented a radical alternative to Abstract Expressionism, while the work also complicated the European prewar and American postwar axis that subtended modern art history in the United States. Since then this dominant narrative has thankfully been giving way in the face of a growing demand for transnational narratives as well as the increased attention given to modern and contemporary art born of other cultural contexts.

The Myth of Nouveau Réalisme develops from my dissertation, which I defended in 2007 at Princeton University. From my time at Princeton stems not only the core of this work but also the primary debts I owe. For his sustained support and constructive criticism, I thank my former adviser Hal Foster. It is due to his critical ability to cut straight to the heart of the matter that the book has taken its present form. During her tenure at Princeton, I was privileged to work with Carol Armstrong. Brigid Doherty was a vital interlocutor and incisively commented on my work. I also had the pleasure to work with Esther da Costa Meyer, P. Adams Sitney, Michael Jennings, and Thomas Y. Levin. For their generous comments on my writing and ideas at various stages of this project I am forever grateful to Sonja Boos, José Falconi, Nicholas Fitch, Suzanne Hudson, Ryan Holmberg, Jennie King, Marco Roso, and Katja Zelljadt. This work is just as much an account of Nouveau Réalisme as it is a record of my conversations with them and with many other colleagues and friends.

The research and writing of this book was made possible with the financial support of Princeton University’s Department of Art and Archaeology; a Ph.D. dissertation fellowship from the Dedalus Foundation; and a Mellon postdoctoral teaching fellowship from the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University. The department at Princeton also granted a generous subvention toward the book’s production and image fees through the Barr Ferree Foundation Publication Fund; and the department staff, especially Susan Lehre, offered essential guidance. Columbia’s department contributed additional funds toward the book’s costs, and Columbia staff Joshua Sakolsky and Emily Shaw each graciously gave of their time and expertise. Research assistant Jaime Schwartz worked tirelessly, assisting me with rights and image acquisition. I also thank the many individuals, artists, museums, and estates that so kindly assisted with illustrations and permissions.

There are many other people and institutions that I would like to single out for their help and encouragement along the way. Lothar Baumgarten’s generous spirit continues to be an inspiration. In France, Michèle Bernstein, Gérard Berréby, Jean-Pierre Criqui, Chantal Pontbriand, and Jacques Villeglé all contributed in various ways to the project. Professors Denys Riout and Laurence Bertrand Dorléac also provided vital support. During my research trips to Paris, I feel fortunate to have developed lasting friendships with Jérôme Saint-Loubert Bié, Cécile Dazord, Christophe Giudicelli, Jian-Xing Too, and Giovanna Zapperi. In the summer of 2009 the MACBA Study Center became a welcome second home for working on the book’s revisions; I appreciate the study center staff’s assistance, and especially that of its former director (my dear friend) Mela Dávila.

This book has benefited from collections and archival resources housed in many institutions, including the Archives de la Critique d’Art, The Yves Klein Archives, the Bibliothèque Kandinsky at the Centre Pompidou, the Gaumont-Pathé Archives, the Getty Research Institute, the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA), the Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Museum Tinguely, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and the Schweizerische Landesbibliothek. I am indebted to the staff, librarians, and archivists at each of these institutions.

Since arriving at Columbia University, my colleagues in art history have been especially supportive. I am thankful above all to Branden W. Joseph for his discerning comments on this project, which extend back to when he was a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton. Alexander Alberro and Kellie Jones have offered invaluable insights with an eye to the work’s incarnation as a published book. I also thank Noam Elcott, Robert Harrist, Holger Klein, Rosalind Krauss, and Matthew McKelway for their encouragement.

At Yale University Press, publisher Patricia Fidler deserves special acknowledgment for her backing of the project, as does Yale’s excellent editorial and production staff, including Katherine Boller, Sarah Henry, and Heidi Downey with whom it was a pleasure to bring this work to completion. I am grateful to the two anonymous readers who supported the publication of this work. To graphic designer Elizabeth Azen of EA Projects, I owe the elegance of the book’s design. Finally, when writing, the day-to-day support counts just as much as the institutional one. This book would not have been possible without the sustained love of my parents, Humberto and Hermys, and the generosity of family and friends. This book is dedicated to them.

Previous chapter

Base text size -

Chapter images ()