Inside the White Cube: L'ideologia dello spazio espositivo

by Brian O'Doherty

"Inside the white cube" è una raccolta di saggi di Brian O'Doherty pubblicati per la prima volta nel 1976 sulla rivista Art forum. Il loro impatto sul mondo dell'arte fu immediato e scatenarono una discussione critica sul ruolo della galleria nel sistema dell'arte che dura ancora oggi, divenendo un riferimento fondamentale per chiunque si confronti con questo mondo. Nel volume O'Doherty affronta, primo tra tutti, un momento di particolare crisi nell'arte del secondo dopoguerra ed esamina i presupposti su cui si fonda lo sviluppo dello spazio espositivo, privato (galleria) o museale. In un'analisi che si confronta con le complesse e delicate relazioni tra economia, contesto sociale ed estetica condensate all'interno di una galleria d'arte, O'Doherty si pone il problema di come gli artisti debbano concepire il proprio lavoro in relazione allo spazio espositivo e, più in generale, al sistema dell'arte.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction, Architecture, Philosophy, Museums, Essays

142 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1985

About the author

Brian O'Doherty is an Irish art critic, writer, artist, and academic. He was born at Ballaghaderreen in County Roscommon in 1928, and grew up in Dublin. He studied medicine at University College Dublin, and did post-graduate work at Cambridge University and at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has lived in New York for more than 50 years.

Reviews

[Patty Gone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book calls the gallery context into question. Though white walls strive to be neutral, they create their own set of expectations about the work. O'Doherty points to a series of great examples of artists who subvert gallery expectations, one by hanging a photo of the gallery wall on the gallery wall. O'Doherty also calls attention to what he refers to as the Eye and the Spectator. Painting requires only an eye. When looking at a painting, what is the body supposed to do? Installation work engages the entire body. The spectator walks inside of the artwork, can be physically immersed in the artwork. A worthwhile read.

[Julia Hendrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth the read, classic, but less grounded in historical analysis than in personal theories about art.

[Asuka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Santa Monica Museum of Art is doing a Michael Asher show and Michael recommended this book. We're having a book club meeting about it on February 12, moderated by Stephan Pascher. Join the SMMoA book club! www.smmoa.org

[Agnes Ársælsdóttir]

What a negla! Ég vil núna rífa alla hvíta kassa.

[Margherita · Rating 2 out of 5]

forse 2.5?

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having previously read some experts from articles in this text, I decided it would be beneficial to read the entire collection, and I'm glad I did. Its short (although some parts I had to re-read) and thought provoking, (even though I disagreed with some assumptions and links). I would recommend the entirety of this text to anyone interested in galleries, Contemporary Art, or the art market in general. Major chunks can be found online (JStor ect.).

[Lilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s such an important museology text but I have issues with aspects of O’Doherty’s argument.

[Matias P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro que a estas alturas vive fundamentalmente de su título, pero cuyo contenido no se corresponde del todo con lo que se espera/supone de él.

Consiste en una serie de cuatro artículos publicados en la revista Artforum allá por los años 70. Aunque relacionadas, cada artículo indaga en una dirección distinta. Quizá el primero y el segundo sean los que más se centren en analizar la galería de arte moderna, sus orígenes y sus funciones. En cualquier caso, la reflexión es voluptuosa, está abierta a múltiples divagaciones, se pierde en cantidad de temas laterales y tiene muchos tramos bastante obtusos. Está escrito desde la mirada de la historia del arte, o más bien desde la crítica artística, sin dejar de ser un texto muy libre.

Más que desentrañar con cierta metodicidad el cubo blanco, explora su interior y sus alrededores. A su favor hay que decir que no es el panfleto simplón que muchas veces se cree que es, sino un libro esforzado intelectualmente, abundante en ideas, entre las que diferentes lectores encontrarán diferentes reflexiones de interés.

7/10

[Nat]

Esthetics are turned into a kind of social elitism—the gallery space is *exclusive*. Isolated in plots of space, what is on display looks a bit like valuable scarce goods, jewelry, or silver: esthetics are turned into commerce—the gallery space is *expensive*. What it contains is, without initiation, well-nigh incomprehensible—art is *difficult*. Exclusive audience, rare objects difficult to comprehend—here we have a social, financial, and intellectual snobbery which models (and at its worst parodies) our system of limited production, our mode sof assigning value, our social habits at large. Never was a space, designed to accommodate the prejudices and enhance the self-image of the upper middle classes, so efficiently codified. (p. 76).

Ok, so maybe that's right, but...at least it was difficult when O'Doherty was writing (in 1975). Just wait until the 80s—today when it can just be exclusive in virtue of being insanely expensive.

[Nestor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro fundamental para entender como las obras de arte se han ido despegando de los soportes (lienzos, tablas...) en los espacios expositivos.
El libro se centra sobretodo en las galerías, que desde mediados del siglo XX, se ha estandarizado un modelo común y homogéneo de exposición: el cubo blanco. A lo largo de libro, se estudian y se ponen en valor diferente performance y obras que han cambiado la historia del Arte y la manera de exponer, desde Duchamp hasta Yves Klein.
Reivindica el valor de la actitud del artista y del expectador ante la obra de arte, como ha ido perdiendo esa "sacralización" a medida que las últimas vanguardias e ismos artísticos creaban nuevas formas de ver el arte.

En cuanto al libro, en algunos casos es algo engorroso y las ideas no se presentan del todo claras. Aún asi, libro básico para todo galerista, coleccionista y comisario.

[Rasak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though it's a small book, it's not an easy read. It requires quite a lot of prior knowledge into modern art to actually read it and make sense of it. Even though art history and curating is what I studied, quite often needed to look up some of the artists and exhibitions that the author is talking about.

The way the texts are written creates a feeling that they have organically sprouted of out the authors mind. And now the reader needs to follow these smooth changes of topics. Sometimes I had to stop just because I realised that I have no idea how the author has switched to another artist or exhibition, go back and reread again.

Even though the text seems rather academic, there are absolutelly no footnotes. It is an interesting, but a bit confusing mind journey of the author with some interesting insights, but honestly, I'm not sure if any of this stays with me.

[yuefei · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed this overall (chapter 3 is a fave) but it’s not really the systematic critique of the white cube space that the title might suggest

can appreciate O’Doherty’s writing style here and there, but in general the strange mix of casual humour and high esotericsm can be frustrating, and the same can be said for his fondness for epigrams—would have liked to see this go into a little more depth

[Vitória Barenco · Rating 4 out of 5]

O'Doherty's views seem rather despicable and pessimistic at times, but his diagnosis of the state of the art regarding museums and gallery spaces is quite spot on. I guess the horizon isn't that pleasant, so I have to admit his onlook.

[sinepudore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ma se il white cube è un mondo “altro”, per accedervi bisogna prima “morire”, ovvero attraversare l’uscio fra il reale e l’arte.
L’Occhio e lo Spettatore sono tutto quello che rimane di chi è “morto” entrando nel
white cube.
#quote

[Servabo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is everything I thought it wouldn't be.

[Olivio Sarikas · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about gallery spaces and how they influence/bias what are is and can be. Very eye opening. Very interesting also for artists to understand their own work and grow.

[Cara M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well-written. Filled with humour, style, and intelligent references

[Alaast · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

[Natasha Galkina · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book about exhibition spaces, from churches to modern galleries.
contains nothing but essential thoughts about social context, history, and afterall, role of artist in all it.
enjoyed!

[Jacques · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for museum lovers

[Federico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this, so witty and sarcastic

[Bijal · Rating 3 out of 5]

My lack of detailed art history knowledge is obscuring the many promising insights these essays are hinting to offer. I’ll come back to Brian after i’ve done more homework.

[Bryce Galloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

O’Doherty traces the gallery's changes as it's shifted from the salon hang of hermetically sealed perspective paintings in large guilt frames, through paintings with less internal spatial authority, arriving at painting as formalist object with an undeniable relationship to the gallery walls. O’Doherty suggests that the white cube is a modernist invention past its use by date but without a better idea to replace it. And he said this is 1976!!!

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always have my senior BFA students read the first part of this in my class. A lot gets accomplished when thinking this way about the gallery space.