#kosuth

Conservation of contemporary artworks can pose unique challenges. When we acquire a work by a living artist, we send out a questionnaire to gather as much information as possible about how the artist created the work, and how they would like it restored should it break. Sometimes, there are unforeseen issues. You may have noticed that our lovely Joseph Kosuth neon, 276. (On Color Blue) in Infinite Blue has not been on for a little while. One of the nine original transformers that power the work is broken and cannot be repaired. Easy—get a new transformer, right? Not so fast. This kind of transformer, now almost 25 years old, is no longer being made, and the new available transformers look completely different. So, do we replace one transformer and have it stand out like a sore thumb? Or, do we replace all of them? Either will result in a visual change to the work from the original. Is this acceptable? Is the most essential part of the work only the illuminated glass tube or visual impact of all of the components together; glass tube, GTO cable, transformers, and outlets? Or, somewhere in between? For these answers, we work closely with our curator, Kosuth’s studio (located in NY) and the studio’s current fabricator (located in Italy). We are close to a solution, which is likely to include replacing all of the transformers with fewer but more powerful ones, and completely rewiring the work. We look forward to presenting this new iteration to our public in the next few weeks.

L'Arte #Concettuale è la più stringente sintesi artistica del XX secolo. L'arte diventa un pensiero ma senza mai staccarsi dalla sua realtà di prodotto artistico. Non è filosofia, non è letteratura, è la ricerca del Niente.

L’Arte Concettuale è la più profonda sintesi artistica del XX secolo. L’arte diventa un pensiero ma senza mai staccarsi dalla sua realtà di prodotto artistico. Non è filosofia, non è letteratura, è la ricerca del Niente.

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