Documenta

{{Translation_WIP|documenta|German|de}} {{DISPLAYTITLE:documenta}} [[Image:Kassel, Dokumenta, Landschaft im Dia.jpg|thumb|250px|Landscape as a slide, Kassel, from documenta XI]] '''documenta''' is an [[Art exhibition|exhibition]] of [[modern art|modern]] and [[contemporary art]] which takes place every five years in [[Kassel]], [[Germany]]. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator [[Arnold Bode]] in 1955 as part of the [[Bundesgartenschau]] (Federal Horticultural Show) which took place in Kassel at that time. This first documenta featured many artists who are generally considered to have had a significant influence on modern art (such as [[Picasso]] and [[Kandinsky]]). The more recent documentas feature art from all [[continents]]; nonetheless most of it is [[Site-specific art|site-specific]]. The last documenta, the documenta XII, was from 16th of June until 23rd of September 2007. Every documenta is limited to 100 days of exhibition, which is why it is often referred to as the “museum of 100 days”. The documenta XIII will begin on June 9th, 2012. It often coincides with three other major art world events: the [[Venice Biennale]], [[Art Basel]] and [[Skulptur Projekte Münster]]. [[Image:Fridericianum-d12.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Fridericianum]] during the documenta XII]] {{Quote|… Again and again, the documenta has shattered the world of art, whether in poor postwar times when people thirsted for art, whether in rebellious years of revolution, whether in the lighthearted era at the end of the 20th century or whether at the turn of the century dominated by globalisation. The history of the documenta is a history of defeats, of doubts, of scandals and, at the same time, of renewal, of discovery and of artistic creatitvity. Above all, however, it has always been a history of success …|Michael Glasmeier and Karin Stengel }} == Etymology of “documenta” == The name of the exhibition is an invented word. The term is supposed to demonstrate the intention of every exhibition (in particular of the first documenta in 1955) to be a [[documentation]] of [[modern art]] which was not available for the German public during the Nazi era. Rumour spread from those close Arnold Bode that it was relevant for the coinage of the term that the Latin word “documentum” could be separated into “docere” (Latin: “teach”) and “mens” (Latin: “intellect”) and therefore thought it to be a good word to describe the intention and the demand of the documenta. ==History== [[Image:FridericianumBeuys kasselgalerie de.jpg |thumb|„Stadtverwaldung“ by [[Joseph Beuys]], Oaktree in front of the museum [[Fridericianum]], documenta VII ]] [[Image:Documenta IX Thomas Schütte links.jpg|thumb|A documenta work of art on the balcony of the former "Rotes Palais": ''Die Fremden'' by [[Thomas Schütte]], documenta IX 1992]] Initiator of [[documenta 1]], the first documenta, was art professor and designer [[Arnold Bode]] from Kassel. Originally planned as a secondary event to accompany the [[Bundesgartenschau]], he achieved to attract more than 130,000 visitors in 1955. The first exhibition centred less on „contemporary art“, that is art after 1945, instead, Bode rather wanted to show the public the works of those artists which had been known as „[[Entartete Kunst]]“ in Germany during the Nazi era: [[Fauvism]], [[Expressionism]], [[Cubism]], [[Blauer Reiter]], Futurism and [[Pittura Metafisica]]. Therefore, [[abstract art]], in particular the [[abstract paintings]] of the 1920s and 1930s were the focus of interest in this exhibition. In the course of the years the focus shifted to contemporary art. At first, the show was limited on works from Europe, but it soon covered works of artists from America, Africa and Asia. Adopting the theme of ''Questioning Reality -- Pictorial Worlds Today,'', the 1972 documenta radically redefined what could be considered art by featuring minimal and conceptual art, marking a turning point in the public acceptance of those styles. Documenta XI was organized around themes like migration, urbanization and the post-colonial experience. ==Directors== The first four documentas, organized by Arnold Bode, established the exhibition's international credentials. ''Documenta 8'' was put together in two years instead of the usual five. The original directors, Edy de Wilde and [[Harald Szeemann]], were unable to get along and stepped down. They were replaced by [[Manfred Schneckenburger]], [[Edward F. Fry]], Wulf Herzogenrath, Armin Zweite, and Vittorio Fagone. documenta IX's team of curators consisted of [[Jan Hoet]], Piero Luigi Tazzi, Denys Zacharopoulos, and Bart de Baere. For documenta X Catherine David was chosen as the first woman and the first non-German speaker to hold the post. {| class="wikitable sortable" !Title !bgcolor=#dddddd|Date !bgcolor=#dddddd|Director !bgcolor=#dddddd|Exhibitors !bgcolor=#dddddd|Exhibits !bgcolor=#dddddd|Visitors |----- | {{sort|01|}}[[documenta I|documenta]] || 16 July - 18 September, 1955 || {{sort|Bode|}}[[Arnold Bode]] || 148 || 670 || {{formatnum:130000}} |----- | {{sort|02|}}[[documenta II]] || 11 July - 11 October, 1959 || {{sort|Bode|}}Arnold Bode, [[Werner Haftmann]] || 338 || 1770 || {{formatnum:134000}} |----- | {{sort|03|}}[[documenta III]] || 27 June - 5 October, 1964 || {{sort|Bode|}}Arnold Bode, Werner Haftmann || 361 || 1450 || {{formatnum:200000}} |----- | {{sort|04|}}[[documenta IV]] || 27 June - 6 October, 1968 || {{sort|documenta council|}}24-strong ''documenta council'' || 151 || 1000 || {{formatnum:220000}} |----- | {{sort|05|}}[[documenta V]] || 30 June - October, 1972 || {{sort|Szeemann|}}[[Harald Szeemann]] || 218 || 820 || {{formatnum:228621}} |----- | {{sort|06|}}[[documenta VI]] || 24 June - 2 October, 1977 || {{sort|Schneckenburger|}}[[Manfred Schneckenburger]] || 622 || 2700 || {{formatnum:343410}} |----- | {{sort|07|}}[[documenta VII]] || 19 June - 28 September, 1982 || {{sort|Fuchs|}}[[Rudi Fuchs]] || 182 || 1000 || {{formatnum:378691}} |----- | {{sort|08|}}[[documenta VIII]] || 12 June - 20 September, 1987 || {{sort|Schneckenburger|}}[[Manfred Schneckenburger]] || 150 || 600 || {{formatnum:474417}} |----- | {{sort|09|}}documenta IX || 12 June - 20 September, 1992 || {{sort|Hoet|}}[[Jan Hoet]] || 189 || 1000 || {{formatnum:603456}} |----- | {{sort|10|}}[[documenta X]] || 21 June - 28 September, 1997 ||{{sort|David|}}[[Catherine David]] || 120 || 700 || {{formatnum:628776}} |----- | {{sort|11|}}[[documenta XI]] || 8 June - 15 September, 2002 || {{sort|Enwezor|}}[[Okwui Enwezor]] || 118 || 450 || {{formatnum:650924}} |----- | {{sort|12|}}[[documenta XII]] || 16 June - 23 September, 2007 || {{sort|Buergel|}}[[Roger M. Buergel]] || 114 || {{sort|500|}}over 500 || {{formatnum:754301}} |----- | {{sort|13|}}[[documenta XIII]] || 9 June - 16 September, 2012 || {{sort|Christov-Bakargiev|}}[[Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev]] || || || |} ==Venues== documenta is held in different venues in Kassel. Since 1955, the fixed venue has been the [[Fridericianum]]. The [[documenta-Halle]] was built in 1992 for documenta IX and now houses some of the exhibitions. Other venues used for documenta have included the [[Schloss Wilhelmshöhe]] and the Neue Galerie. Though Okwui Enezor notably tried to subvert the euro-centric approach documenta had taken, he instigated a series of 5 platforms before the documenta XI in Vienna, Berlin, New Dehli, St Lucia and Lagos; in an attempt to take documenta into a new post-colonial, borderless space, from which experimental cultures could emerge. There are also a number of works that are usually presented outside, most notably in Friedrichsplatz, in front of the Fridericianum, and the Karlsaue park. For documenta XII, French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal constructed the temporary "Aue-Pavillon" in the park. [[File:Fridericianum.jpg|thumb|500px|center|View of the Friedrichsplatz with the Fridericianum (2nd Building from the left) and the documenta ticket booth (right)]] ==External links== {{commonscat|Documenta}} * [http://www.documenta.de http://www.documenta.de] -- official web page of the documenta * [http://www.documenta12.de/archiv/dx documentaX] -- official archive of the documenta X (1997), first to include the internet * [http://www.panorama-cities.net/kassel/theatre.html City Panorama] Interactive Panorama at the Documenta Hall * [http://universes-in-universe.de/doc/english.htm] archive of documenta X * [http://www.theartstrust.com/online_magazine_Article.aspx?articleid=16 Documenta 2007] * [http://the-artists.org/tours/documenta-archive.cfm] archive of documenta artists * [http://www.goethe.de/kue/bku/thm/kid/en2458576.htm Article of the Goethe-Institut on documenta 12] * [http://www.goethe.de/kue/bku/thm/kid/en1960039.htm Article of the Goethe-Institut on the history of the documenta] ==Further reading== * Nancy Marmer, "Documenta 8: The Social Dimension?" ''Art in America,'' Vol. 75, September 1987, pp. 128-138, 197-199. {{coord missing|Hesse}}