Michael Asher
Encyclopedia
Michael Max Asher is a conceptual art
ist, described by The New York Times as "among the patron saints of the Conceptual Art phylum known as Institutional Critique
, an often esoteric dissection of the assumptions that govern how we perceive art." Rather than designing new art objects, Asher typically alters the existing environment, by repositioning or removing artworks, walls, facades, etc.
Asher is also a highly regarded professor of art, who has spent decades on the faculty at California Institute of the Arts
. Cited by numerous successful artists as an important influence in their development, Asher's teaching has been described by British journalist Sarah Thornton
as his "most influential" work.
, California, Asher is the son of gallerist Betty Asher and Dr. Leonard Asher http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/asher80.htm.
He is a teacher at the California Institute of the Arts
, where his "post-studio art" course consists of intensive group critiques that can focus on a single work for eight hours or more. His Writings, 1973–1983, on Works 1969-1979, co-authored by the art historian Benjamin H. D. Buchloh
, was published by The Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Chapter 2 of Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton is set in Asher's Post-Studio Crit class. Thornton describes the Crit as a "rite of passage" for the students and as the artist's "most influential" work - "an institutional critique that reveals the limits of the rest of the curriculum."
His untitled 1991 work featuring a granite drinking fountain juxtaposed with a flag pole was his first permanent public outdoor work in the United States. It is part of the Stuart Collection
of public art on the campus of the University of California, San Diego
.
He has exhibited at documenta
(1972, 1982) and the Venice Biennale
(1976), and his solo museum shows include the Centre Pompidou (1991), Los Angeles County Museum of Art
(2003), Art Institute of Chicago
(2005) and Santa Monica Museum of Art
(2008).
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
ist, described by The New York Times as "among the patron saints of the Conceptual Art phylum known as Institutional Critique
Institutional Critique
Institutional Critique is an art term that describes the systematic inquiry into the workings of art institutions, for instance galleries and museums, and is most associated with the work of artists such as Michael Asher, Marcel Broodthaers, Daniel Buren, Andrea Fraser, Fred Wilson and Hans...
, an often esoteric dissection of the assumptions that govern how we perceive art." Rather than designing new art objects, Asher typically alters the existing environment, by repositioning or removing artworks, walls, facades, etc.
Asher is also a highly regarded professor of art, who has spent decades on the faculty at California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
. Cited by numerous successful artists as an important influence in their development, Asher's teaching has been described by British journalist Sarah Thornton
Sarah Thornton
Sarah Thornton is a writer and sociologist of culture. Her early work was about clubs, raves, music taste and cultural hierarchies. Thornton has authored and edited works about subcultures. She now writes principally about art, artists and the art market...
as his "most influential" work.
Life
Born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California, Asher is the son of gallerist Betty Asher and Dr. Leonard Asher http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/asher80.htm.
He is a teacher at the California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
, where his "post-studio art" course consists of intensive group critiques that can focus on a single work for eight hours or more. His Writings, 1973–1983, on Works 1969-1979, co-authored by the art historian Benjamin H. D. Buchloh
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Modern Art at Harvard University. His 2000 book, Neo-Avantgarde and Culture Industry, is a collection of eighteen essays on major figures of postwar art written since the late 1970s...
, was published by The Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Chapter 2 of Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton is set in Asher's Post-Studio Crit class. Thornton describes the Crit as a "rite of passage" for the students and as the artist's "most influential" work - "an institutional critique that reveals the limits of the rest of the curriculum."
Works
Asher's work takes the form of "subtle yet deliberate interventions – additions, subtractions or alterations – in particular environments." His work in the late 1960s and early 1970s consisted of dividing up gallery spaces using partition walls and curtains, and designing environments that reflected or absorbed sound. In the 1970s he began to remove elements from spaces, for example sandblasting away layers of paint or removing the partition walls separating an exhibition space from the gallery office. In 1979 he started to reposition objects in museum collections.His untitled 1991 work featuring a granite drinking fountain juxtaposed with a flag pole was his first permanent public outdoor work in the United States. It is part of the Stuart Collection
Stuart Collection
The Stuart Collection is a collection of public art on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. Founded in 1983, the Stuart Collection's goal is to spread commissioned sculpture throughout the campus, including both traditional sculptures and integration with features of the campus...
of public art on the campus of the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
.
He has exhibited at documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of 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 which took place in Kassel at that time...
(1972, 1982) and the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
(1976), and his solo museum shows include the Centre Pompidou (1991), Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
(2003), Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
(2005) and Santa Monica Museum of Art
Santa Monica Museum of Art
The Santa Monica Museum of Art is an independent non-collecting art museum located in Santa Monica, California. It exhibits the work of local, national, and international contemporary artists....
(2008).