Post-1960s art and display requirements

Frances Morris (Curator Tate Gallery of Modern Art, London)

Since the 1960's artists working beyond painting and sculpture have made their art in and for a wide variety of contexts and spaces, interacting formally and conceptually with very different architectural and social frames of references. This is especially true for the Arte Povera generation, a number of whom are strongly represented in the collection. There is no single right way to show their work but there are a number of important considerations. Works of art that operate on a complex conceptual terrain and which also deal with space, energy, and material contrasts in both physical and metaphysical ways require spaces which are active and characterful rather than passive and neutral. This is also true for younger artists who often work in a site-specific way. Exhibitions and projects for museums are increasingly site specific and artists prefer to respond to a space with its own identity, even if it is a harsh and resistant one, and to create a dialogue with the architecture, rather than merely fill an empty vessel.

At the same time curators need to be able to reconfigure a space over time especially in relation to a permanent collection. As art historians and curators turn away from the notion of a single art history works of art in a collection need, over time, to be shown in different ways, making new contrasts with other pieces in the collection, and displayed in very different spaces. Works of art or groups of works by a single artist can and should shown both in isolation and, at other times, in relation to the work of other artists. This need suggests the provision of a large open space which can be configured in a number of different ways (including floor levels, hanging or dividing screens, lighting arrangements) as well as smaller more intimate spaces to allow for isolated presentations or the creation of 'black box' video spaces. Daylight, expansive dimensions, especially high spaces, and the provision of windows onto the wider outside world are also crucial dimensions in providing space for contemporary art.