The American artist Dan Flavin (1933-1996) was a pioneer of minimal art. He became known for his work with industrially produced fluorescent tubes. In doing so, he created a new art form and made history. The exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel focuses on his works, which are dedicated to other artists or events.
When Dan Flavin mounted a commercially available fluorescent tube at a 45-degree angle on the wall of his studio in 1963 - and declared it art without further ado - it was a radical act. In fact, it was thanks to this action that standard commercial products were introduced into art: Minimal art, which was emerging at the time, emphasized seriality, reduction and objectivity. Ironically, the American autodidact Flavin, who never saw himself as an actual member of the art movement, literally became its most luminous representative.
Dan Flavin, untitled (to Barnett Newman) one, 1971, yellow, red, and blue fluorescent light, 244 x 122 x 18 cm, Collection Carré d'Art-Musée d'art contemporain de Nîmes, photo David Zwirner Gallery © Stephen Flavin / 2024, ProLitteris, Zurich
From the early 1960s, Flavin worked with fluorescent tubes, which he arranged in so-called 'situations' and then developed into series and installations. The colors and dimensions of the materials used were predetermined by their industrial production. Through the flood of light, the viewers themselves become part of the works: the space and the objects in it are placed in relation to each other and ultimately become immersive art experiences that can trigger sensual, sometimes almost spiritual experiences. Flavin thus liberated color from the two-dimensionality of painting. Until now, the common understanding of his light works had focused primarily on their minimalist, industrial dimension and thus on the simplicity of their beauty.
The exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel, however, focuses on seeing Flavin's oeuvre in a less familiar context: His works often contain references to specific events in their titles, such as war atrocities or police violence, or are dedicated to other artists - for example the work untitled (in memory of Urs Graf), which bathes the inner courtyard of the main building in colorful light every evening.
With this major special exhibition at Kunstmuseum Basel, the curators are taking a close look at these narrative strategies using works and series from Flavin's entire oeuvre and inviting visitors on a sensory journey through his unique oeuvre.
March 2 to August 18, 2024
https://kunstmuseumbasel.ch
