B5342 - History of Contemporary Art Exhibitions (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will acquires basic knowledge of the history of exhibitions in order to recognize and evaluate the specificities of the artistic and curatorial role, as well as to explore the lines of research that have emerged internationally in recent years. In particular, students will possess the coordinates for analyzing major museum exhibitions from an art-historical perspective and the methodology for recognizing, historically situating and critically evaluating major issues related to the organization and curatorship of art exhibitions for the purpose of developing individual research activity.

Course contents

This course aims to deal with the issues related to organizing and curating art exhibitions also to contextualize and critically evaluate them. During the lessons, the main issues related to the history of the exhibitions will be examined, analysing the various contexts related to the exhibition spaces and the system of temporary exhibitions; in addition, they will be treated the roles and functions of the individual actors in this field will be also analysed. Special attention will be paid to the functions and the role of the curator.

To tackle the topics above, several exhibitions and art events that have marked the course of the history of recent art will be analysed. More specifically, the following topics will be considered:

• The origin of art exhibitions. The Salon tradition, the system of great exhibitions and the birth of the Venice Biennial

• Exhibitions in the period of the historical avant-gardes: Salon d'Automne (1905), Les Peintres Futuristes Italiens (1912), The Armory Show (1913), Erste Internationale Dada-Messe (1920)

• Duchamp artist and curator: Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme (1938), First Paper of Surrealism (1942)

• The second avant-garde exhibitions: This is Tomorrow (1956), Primary Structure (1966), Arte Povera Azioni Povere (1968), When Attitudes Become Form (1969)

• Recent exhibitions: Chambres d'Amis (1986), Magiciens de la Terre (1989), Cities on the Move (1997)

• The system of recurring exhibitions: Venice Biennial, Documenta, São Paulo Biennial, Whitney Biennial, Gwangju Biennial

• The exposition like place for meeting from artistic traditions belonging to different cultural and geographic contexts.

Readings/Bibliography

bibliography (both for attending and non-attending students)

Pinto R. (2023), Nuove geografie artistiche. Le mostre al tempo della globalizzazione, Postmediabooks, Milano. 

and one from this list:

Haskell F. (2008) La nascita delle mostre, i dipinti degli antichi maestri e l'origine delle esposizioni d'arte, Skira, Milano 2008

Negri A. (2011), L’arte in mostra. Una storia delle esposizioni, Bruno Mondadori, Milano.

O'Doherty B. (2012), Inside the White Cube. L'ideologia dello spazio espositivo, Johan and Levi, Monza.

A knowledge of the works referred to in the books is also required, in particular those that will be present in the pdf to download on Virtuale.

For attending and non attending students, instead of the book, it is possible to opt for a handout with some essays on the topics of the course, that will find in the material of the “Virtuale” at the beginning of the lessons.

Suggested reading:

H. Foster - R. Krauss - Y.A. Bois - B. Buchloh, D. Joselit, Arte dal 1900, Modernismo, Antimodernismo e Postmodernismo,Zanichelli, 2017

Teaching methods

Lectures with the aid of projection of images and videos.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an interview to evaluate the critical and methodological skills acquired by the students. Students will be assessed especially considering whether they have acquired ability to orientate within the visual and written sources recommended in the bibliography and on the AMS Campus online platform, for finding useful information to illustrate topics and issues by connecting them.

What will be assessed as excellent the performance of those students achieving an organic vision of the course contents, the use of a proper specific language.

It will be assessed as average the performance of those students showing mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, not articulated synthesis and analysis capabilities, a correct but not always appropriate language, as well as a scholastic study of the topics of the course. It will be assessed as barely sufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, lack of knowledge of the recommended bibliography. It will be assessed as insufficient the performance of those students showing learning gaps, inappropriate language, no orientation within the recommended bibliography and inability to analyse the discipline.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Students will be given the images projected during the lectures and part of the bibliography.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Pinto