Artist to represent U.S. at international event

By Jen McShane
Collegian Staff
January 30, 2007

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is widely considered to be one of the largest and most eclectic collections of art in the United States. Recent endeavors by the Art Museum seem to be aimed at giving it an international reputation.

The Art Museum has recently offered support to American artist Bruce Nauman. The Art Museum proposed that Nauman represent the United States in the 53rd Venice Biennale, an international exhibition of artists worldwide. In fact, many art critics consider the Venice Biennale to be “the Olympics of the modern art world.”

The artwork of Nauman was one of the 11 proposals submitted for consideration to the Biennale. The U.S. State Department made the final decision about Nauman representing the United States.

Art Museum Director Anne d’Harnoncourt was thrilled that the proposal was met with success.

“You do not often get an opportunity like this one,” said Harnoncourt.

  The Art Museum will be aiding Nauman as he prepares for the Biennale, as he chooses his paintings and sets up his exhibit. The Art Museum last directed an artist into the Biennale over 20 years ago, when Jasper Johns had an exhibit there.

Nauman does not have any real connection to Philadelphia, except for his contributions to the Art Museum. He has shown many of his paintings there and the museum owns some as well.

Nauman has been working in contemporary art for over 40 years. He is well-known for using multimedia in his art. However, Nauman also works in neon, print, live performance, sculpture, film, video, photography, drawing and audio. Nauman has also been known to put words and text in his art as a way to “open up other avenues of thought.”

The subject of many of Nauman’s pieces is everyday life, people and activities. His work has been exhibited at the Biennale before, but never of this magnitude.

The 53rd Biennale where Nauman will be exhibiting opens in Venice in June 2009. Nauman has not decided which of his pieces will be on display, though some hope he will unveil new pieces. It remains to be seen what this eclectic artist does, though it is supposed the Art Museum will have some of the pieces from the Biennale after it is over.

mcshanej2@lasalle.edu