Famous modern installation artists include: Joseph Beuys (1921 - 86) the war - scarred ex-Professor of Monumental Sculpture at the Dusseldorf Academy, whose lard and felt installations,
extensive use of found objects, bold
lectures on art and creativity and career long dedication earned him a retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York; Italian Arte Povera artists Mario Merz (1925 - 2003), Michelangelo Pistoletto (b. 1933), Jannis Kounellis (b. 1936), and Gilberto Zorio (b. 1944); the German multi-media artist Rebecca Horn (b. 1944),
noted for her performance films, her kinetic installations, and her Guggenheim retrospective which toured Europe in 1994; Judy Chicago (b. 1939),
noted for her installation of feminist art - The Dinner Party (1979, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum, New York); Bruce Nauman (b. 1941),
noted for his neon light sculpture and video installations; and the Frenchman Christian Boltanski (b. 1944), famous for his installations of photographs, sometimes with lights.
Complementary programming includes an
extensive series of
lectures and gallery talks in Madison and other areas of the state; Wisconsin Triennial blog featuring images, videos, recorded commentary from participating artists, and curatorial
notes; and the museum's first - ever cell - phone tour.
This exhibition doesn't provide wall text, instead, it leans heavily on Paglen's
extensive checklist
notes and essays, as well as the multiple walkthroughs and
lectures that took place throughout September.