Acknowledgments

Salatino, Kevin

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Acknowledgments

Kevin Salatino (Editor)

Mel Bochner Drawings: A Retrospective

Many people were instrumental in making the exhibition and catalogue Mel Bochner Drawings: A Retrospective. I am indebted first and foremost to Mel Bochner, who not only critically influenced the project’s development and execution but also has welcomed Art Institute curators into his studio and home over the years, showing his personal collection of drawings and sharing his...

Author

Kevin Salatino (Editor)

PublisherArt Institute of Chicago

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22594

Acknowledgments

Many people were instrumental in making the exhibition and catalogue Mel Bochner Drawings: A Retrospective. I am indebted first and foremost to Mel Bochner, who not only critically influenced the project’s development and execution but also has welcomed Art Institute curators into his studio and home over the years, showing his personal collection of drawings and sharing his enlightening, and often challenging, ideas about the medium. His drawings are essential to the evolution of Conceptual Art, Minimalism, and Post-Minimalism, and many of these significant works are now part of the Art Institute of Chicago’s permanent collection, enabling this unprecedented retrospective.

Numerous private lenders parted with prized works to enhance this exhibition, including Frank and Deenie Brosens, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Peter Freeman, Tony and Gail Ganz, the Estate of Sondra Gilman Gonzalez-Falla, Wendy Evans Joseph, the Estate of Werner H. Kramarsky, Mr. and Mrs. Sandro Manzo, Lizbeth Marano, Larry and Susan Marx, Jacki Ochs and Jan Kroeze, Pamela and Arthur Sanders, Amelia and Eliot Relles, Irving Stenn Jr. and Judi Male, Lluïsa Sàrries Zgonc, and private collectors who wish to remain anonymous. Institutions also generously supported the exhibition, and I am grateful to Janne Sirén, Cathleen Chaffee, Holly E. Hughes, and Danielle Sansanese of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, New York; Robert La France and Denise Mahoney of the David Owsley Museum of Art, Ball State University, Indiana; Dr. Dagmar Korbacher, Dr. Jenny Graser, and Tina Dähn of Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; Michael Govan, Liz Andrews, Leslie Jones, Jayne Manuel, Megan Smith, Errin Copple, Hannah P. Gibson, and Yosi Pozeilov of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Glenn D. Lowry, Madeleine Casella, Christophe Cherix, and Emily Cushman of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Timothy Rub, Mary-Jean Huntley, and Louis Marchesano of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, for providing crucial loans. Katie Rashid of Peter Freeman, Inc., Betsy Senior, and Candace Worth provided valuable assistance in shepherding works from private collections. James Powers and Jamie Keesling, Bochner’s studio assistant and archivist, respectively, facilitated research and provided other vital assistance. The support generously provided by an anonymous donor contributed to the exhibition’s excellence.

At the Art Institute, Emily Vokt Ziemba was the point person for every aspect of this project, from the checklist to the installation. Other members of Prints and Drawings generously contributed their talents, especially Kate Howell and Mark Pascale, and Sharrone Adams-Brumfield provided valuable support on the ground. In Conservation I thank Francesca Casadio, Mary Broadway, Christine Conniff-O’Shea, and Mardy Sears, as well as Rufino Quintin Jimenez, for their essential work, support, and superb presentation of the artist’s drawings.

This valuable contribution to the Bochner scholarship relies on insightful essays by Anna Lovatt and Barry Schwabsky, as well as original texts written and selected by the artist that demonstrate the conceptual range and evolution of his graphic investigations. I sincerely thank Phil Kovacevich for the book’s sensitive design, which prioritizes the readability of text and the clarity of the layout while allowing images and artworks to come to the fore. I extend my gratitude to my colleagues in Publishing and Interpretation, led by Greg Nosan, for their thoughtful collaboration on this project: Ben Bertin, Lauren Makholm, and Joseph Mohan provided expert oversight of production; Alissa Chanin Kolaj deftly managed finances and contracts; Kylie Escudero capably coordinated images and image rights; Sheila Majumdar worked diligently and tirelessly with the artist and authors to refine the book’s contents, with the assistance of Lisa Meyerowitz and Amy R. Peltz; and Ginia Sweeney shaped the gallery texts, making the artist’s rigorous conceptual practice accessible to our audiences. In Imaging, led by Bonnie Rosenberg, Craig Stillwell and Joe Tallarico contributed excellent photography, Owen Conway deftly handled postproduction, and Elyse Allen and Aidan Fitzpatrick worked nimbly on the preproduction and coordination of images. Sarah E. Robinson and David B. Olsen proofread this catalogue, and Kate Mertes prepared the index.

Many impressive colleagues made this exhibition come together. In Exhibitions, led by Megan Rader, Jennifer Oberhauser helped keep the project on schedule and on budget. The exhibition’s graphics and marketing materials were produced by Kristin Best in Experience Design, led by Michael Neault, with assistance from Gina Giambalvo. Ensuring the safe and compelling presentation of this important body of work were Leticia Pardo and her colleagues in Exhibition Design; the Museum Facilities team, led by Joe Vatinno; and Lucio Ventura along with staff in Protection Services. Collections and Loans, led by Cayetana Castillo and including Timothy Campos, Leslie Carlson, and Michael Kaysen, as well as former colleagues Sara Patrello and Michael Hodgetts, crucially managed all aspects of incoming loans, packing, and logistics. I thank my colleagues in Member and Visitor Engagement, led by Bridget Eastman, who warmly welcomed our audiences. For the outstanding efforts of Marketing and Communications, I thank Katie Rahn and Lauren Schultz. James Allan helped secure the funding that made this project possible, and Maureen Ryan and Kate Tierney Powell were equally crucial to its success.

Finally, this project would not have been possible without the encouragement and enthusiasm of President and Eloise W. Martin Director James Rondeau and Deputy Director and Senior Vice President for Curatorial Affairs Sarah Guernsey, as well as the essential support of Senior Vice President of External Affairs Eve Jeffers and former Senior Vice President of Finance, Strategy, and Operations Andrew Simnick.

Kevin Salatino
Chair and Anne Vogt Fuller and Marion Titus Searle Curator
Prints and Drawings
The Art Institute of Chicago

I wish to thank my wife, Lizbeth Marano, for her years of belief and tolerance; James Rondeau for his unflagging support; Phil Kovacevich for his impeccable design and unerring eye; Kevin Salatino, Emily Vokt Ziemba, and Mark Pascale for tirelessly guiding this ship into port; Irving Stenn Jr., whose generosity many years ago started the ball rolling; Anna Lovatt and Barry Schwabsky for thoughtfully mapping the twists and turns of fifty years of my work; Greg Nosan, Joseph Mohan, Sheila Majumdar, Kylie Escudero, Ben Bertin, Alissa Chanin Kolaj, Lisa Meyerowitz, and Amy R. Peltz for their dedication to the production of this book; Christine Conniff-O’Shea for her work on the exhibition; and my studio assistant James Powers for all he does to keep everything afloat—as well as the following, who form the invisible structure of friendship that underlies this project: Fiamma Arditi, Nick Baker, Francesca Bochner, Piera Bochner, Frish Brandt, Ruth Fine, Jeffrey Fraenkel, Peter Freeman, Ann Goldstein, Betty and Ed Harris, Jamie Keesling, Barbara Krakow, David and Evelyn Lasry, Simon Lee, Sandro Manzo, Lawrence Markey, James Meyer, Nancy Olnick, Katie Rashid, Poppy Sebire, Marc Selwyn, Betsy Senior, Giorgio Spanu, Craig Starr, David Totah, Jeffrey Weiss, and Andrew Witkin.

Mel Bochner

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