Lawrence Weiner on 20×200

by Art Fag City on April 28, 2010 · 6 comments Blurb

POST BY PADDY JOHNSON
art fag city, lawrence Weiner

I bought one of the Lawrence Weiner prints on 20×200 this morning because, well, he is “the grandaddy of conceptual art“. I figured I should spend the 50 bucks to acquire a bit of history.

Let it be known that I haven’t a clue what I bought. Describing HEAD OVER HEALS AFTER MARX AND ANGELS as cryptic or Haiku-like is a generous way of saying indecipherable, which is probably where this print lands. It looks like an arcane tattoo. Jen Bekman says Weiner wants the work to end up in bars.

Whatever Weiner’s intentions, the work isn’t about offering clarity so the idea that he’d send something like this out to a mass market is interesting in and of itself. My sense is that large numbers suit Weiner well, which may touch a few art world nerves. This is evidenced in New York Times critic Roberta Smith’s positive review of his 40-year retrospective at The Whitney “As Far As The Eye Can See”,

Containing nearly 120 works — not including a large wall of posters and several vitrines of multiples — this drastically overcrowded show comes close to reducing Mr. Weiner's work to a form of merchandise.

One could argue 20×200 does just this, but even if that’s the case I’m not sure why it would be a bad thing. It’s part of the work, and if he wants his art to reach as many people as possible — which I’m quite sure he does — 20×200 is a perfect match.

Full Disclosure: Jen Bekman is a friend.

{ 6 comments }

TBH April 28, 2010 at 10:42 pm

I bought one this morning as well. Love Weiner (he he) but wasn’t totally in love with this piece nor had the slightest clue what it was about.

A bit of history feels correct, and actually fit into my mniscule contemporary art budget

TBH April 28, 2010 at 6:42 pm

I bought one this morning as well. Love Weiner (he he) but wasn’t totally in love with this piece nor had the slightest clue what it was about.

A bit of history feels correct, and actually fit into my mniscule contemporary art budget

SS April 28, 2010 at 11:36 pm

It’s a joke about Marx “standing the Hegelian dialectic on its feet.” Also, it’s a tattoo.

SS April 28, 2010 at 7:36 pm

It’s a joke about Marx “standing the Hegelian dialectic on its feet.” Also, it’s a tattoo.

Art Fag City April 29, 2010 at 1:29 pm

@scott Please send your full name and the comment will be approved.

Art Fag City April 29, 2010 at 9:29 am

@scott Please send your full name and the comment will be approved.

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