Blenheim Art Foundation

image of Blenheim Palace
Art exhibitions staged by the Art Foundation are held at Blenheim Palace, the official seat of the Duke of Marlborough.

Blenheim Art Foundation (BAF) is a non-profit organisation set up to present large-scale contemporary art exhibitions at Blenheim Palace.

BAF is a non-profit art foundation set up to present a programme of contemporary art exhibitions in the context of the 18th-century Blenheim Palace and its grounds in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, rejecting the 'white cube' aesthetic often associated with the display of contemporary art.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The foundation launched on 1 October 2014 with an exhibition by Ai Weiwei, which was the artist's "largest UK exhibition to date" and the programme continued in 2015 with an exhibition by Lawrence Weiner, and Michelangelo Pistoletto in 2016.[1][7][8]

Blenheim Art Foundation was founded by Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, son of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, John Spencer-Churchill. Lord Edward has held the ambition to launch a contemporary art programme at Blenheim Palace since he started collecting contemporary art in 2004.[5][9]

The Director of the foundation is Michael Frahm. [10]

Exhibition history

Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace (2014)

Blenheim Art Foundation launched with the exhibition Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace, which took place 1 October 2014 - 26 April 2015. It was the "biggest UK retrospective to date" by Chinese artist and social activist, Ai Weiwei, which presented more than 50 new and iconic artworks throughout the Palace and its grounds.[1][7] Artworks ranged from photographs taken by Ai Weiwei whilst living in New York during the 1980s, to a 40m long carpet created specifically for display in the Great Hall, where a 17 ft glass chandelier was also hung.[1][11] Also exhibited was a table formed from wood and reclaimed from temples dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644 -1911), intricately hand-painted porcelain plates, and Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold, Ai Weiwei’s reinterpretation of the legendary bronze zodiac head statues that once surrounded the fountain-clock at Emperor Yuanming Yuan’s Beijing imperial retreat.[12]

Due to visitor figures, the exhibition Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace was extended for twice the planned duration, finally closing 26 April 2015.[13] Critics focused on the fact that this was "the most extensive exhibition of his work to be staged in this country" and that Ai Weiwei, under house-arrest was never able to leave China to see the exhibition, as well as that the exhibition was the inauguration of Blenheim Art Foundation.[14][15]

Within a Realm of Distance: Lawrence Weiner at Blenheim Palace (2015)

Blenheim Art Foundation's second exhibition, Within A Realm Of Distance, ran 10 October - 20 December 2015.[16] The exhibition displayed works by American artist and founding figure of Conceptual Art, Lawrence Weiner.[17] The exhibition included existing works from the artist's career, in addition to new site-specific works created especially for the palace.[18] Works have been integrated throughout the internal palace rooms such as the ceiling of the Long Library, which now shows 'More Than Enough' (2015), and in the 1st State Room 'Far Enough Away As To Come Readily To Hand' (2015) replaced part of the tapestry of the Battle of Blenheim.[19] The title work 'Within A Realm Of Distance' (2015) was installed on the exterior frieze of the Baroque 18th-century building.[20][21]

Lawrence Weiner's career spans over fifty years, with his first catalogued artwork dating 1968, and his signature style is to use language as a medium to create sculpture.[22][23]

Within a Realm of Distance was conceived by the artist in collaboration with Blenheim Art Foundation and co-curator Christian Gether, Director, ARKEN Museum of Modern Art.[2]

Michelangelo Pistoletto at Blenheim Palace (2016)

Michelangelo Pistoletto at Blenheim Palace was a solo exhibition running 15 September – 31 December 2016. The show spanned Pistoletto’s prolific fifty-year career, exhibiting painting, sculpture, and new, site-specific installations within the palace and the surrounding grounds. The show also introduced visitors to the themes which have underpinned his work across the decades. Pistoletto gave a playful crash-course in Italian history, referencing the Renaissance and Fascism in turn. Classical Antiquity collided with post-war consumerism in his Venus of the Rags, which sees the Classical goddess leaning against a large pile of waste material from textile factories. This work, an iconic piece from the Arte Povera period of 1960s-70s Italy, exemplifies Pistoletto’s anti-establishment use of cheap and unconventional materials to make high art; a provocative move which started an artistic revolution and cemented him as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth-century.

Reflection and self-reflection were also central ideas to the exhibition, which showcased a spectacular collection of thirty of Pistoletto’s celebrated Mirror Paintings, photo-silkscreened images on polished steel which project the viewer’s reflection into the picture plane, encouraging playful interaction. Blenheim Palace itself was also a muse for a new work called Mirage, which sees a gold-painted car – inspired by the golden balls perched atop of the building – submerged by the water of the palace fountains.

As well as celebrating the breadth of Pistoletto’s materials and techniques, the show also introduced Pistoletto the political philosopher, with many of his lyrical, colourful works underpinned with strong pacifist messages and calls for unity, collaboration, and freedom. His striking Mappamondo, a globe made of burnished newspaper, was remade for Blenheim Palace using material from British journalism. The breathtaking Third Paradise symbol, wrapped in Pistoletto’s signature rags, hovered above the Great Hall, calling for a reassessment of current society and a more harmonious, unified future. Another work on these themes is the poignantly-named Love Difference, a table in the shape of the Mediterranean basin around which its bordering countries are gathered, represented by chairs in different styles and sizes. The work suggests the positivity of national and cultural difference, and the need for communication and exchange. It is a piece which has never felt more current in today’s climate.


Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace was a gift from Queen Anne to the 1st Duke of Marlborough for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.[24] Designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site in 1987, Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.[24] Handed down through successive generations, the palace continues to be resided in by the Spencer-Churchill family and is the official seat of the current and 12th Duke of Marlborough, Jamie Spencer-Churchill.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kennedy, Maev. "Ai Weiwei prepares for Blenheim Palace show but must keep his distance". the Guardian. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Lawrence Weiner. Within a Realm of Distance". Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Aesthetica Magazine – Lawrence Weiner, Within a Realm of Distance, Blenheim Palace". Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Blenheim Palace to Present Major Lawrence Weiner Exhibition | Artinfo". Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Ai Weiwei On 'Soft Detention' As UK Show Begins". Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Jones, Jonathan. "Ai Weiwei takes his place among the greats amid the opulence of Blenheim". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Artist not in residence". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "Free reign [sic] conceptualism: Lawrence Weiner takes over Blenheim Palace | Art | Wallpaper* Magazine". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Westall, Mark. "Lawrence Weiner American artist and founding figure of Conceptual Art to be next artist at Blenheim Art Foundation. | FAD Magazine". Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  10. ↑ http://www.blenheimpalace.com/attractions-and-events/exhibitions-and-tours/the-blenheim-art-foundation/
  11. ↑ "Ai Weiwei, Blenheim Palace, review: 'what fun'". Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "Ai Weiwei - Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads". Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "Blenheim Palace's staff invite artist Ai Weiwei to visit". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Ai Weiwei: the artist who cannot be gagged | The Times". Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Ai Weiwei exhibit takes over Blenheim Palace". BBC News. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "Within A Realm of Distance". Blenheim Art Foundation. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  17. ↑ "Collection Online | Lawrence Weiner - Guggenheim Museum". www.guggenheim.org. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Blenheim Palace to Present Major Lawrence Weiner Exhibition | Artinfo". Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  19. ↑ "Lawrence Weiner at Blenheim Palace | ELLE Decoration UK". ELLE Decoration UK. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  20. ↑ Fund, Art. "Lawrence Weiner: Within a Realm of Distance". Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  21. ↑ "Lawrence Weiner shows text art at Blenheim Palace". BBC News. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  22. ↑ "Artists at Work: Lawrence Weiner". Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  23. ↑ Stemmrich, Gregor (2004). Writings & Interviews of Lawrence Weiner 1968-2003. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz. p. 432.
  24. 1 2 3 Foundation, Blenheim Art. "About | Blenheim Art Foundation". Retrieved 15 September 2015.

External links

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