ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Harald Szeemann's 'When Attitudes Become Form' and Wim Beeren's 'Op Losse Schroeven' in 1969

exhibition · 2026-04-22

The essay examines two landmark 1969 exhibitions: 'When Attitudes Become Form' at Kunsthalle Bern, curated by Harald Szeemann, and 'Op Losse Schroeven (Situations and Cryptostructures)' at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, curated by Wim Beeren. Both shows opened within a week in March–April 1969 and shared many artists, including Carl Andre, Giovanni Anselmo, Joseph Beuys, Jan Dibbets, Richard Long, Mario Merz, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, Richard Serra, Robert Smithson, and Lawrence Weiner. Szeemann's exhibition, sponsored by Philip Morris, gained international fame and led to his resignation from Kunsthalle Bern, launching his freelance curatorial career. Beeren's show, though less known historically, was equally ambitious. The essay contrasts their curatorial approaches: Szeemann acted as a 'catalyst' enabling artists to replicate working methods in the gallery, emphasizing process and attitude; Beeren initially focused on new materials and objecthood, later expanding to site-specificity and 'situation art'. Both curators were influenced by Piero Gilardi's 'Microemotive Art' and the Deposito D'Arte Presente in Turin. The exhibitions included radical works: Heizer excavated pavement in Bern, Serra splashed lead against the Stedelijk, and Dibbets dug trenches at both venues. The essay argues that understanding both shows together reveals the complexity of late-1960s art and curatorial practice.

Key facts

  • 'When Attitudes Become Form' ran 22 March–27 April 1969 at Kunsthalle Bern.
  • 'Op Losse Schroeven' ran 15 March–27 April 1969 at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
  • Both exhibitions included 34 artists in Amsterdam and 69 in Bern.
  • Szeemann's show was sponsored by Philip Morris with $25,000.
  • Szeemann resigned from Kunsthalle Bern after the exhibition.
  • Beeren left Stedelijk Museum to curate Sonsbeek 71.
  • Piero Gilardi advised both curators and contributed to catalogues.
  • The exhibitions shared 32 artists, including many from Arte Povera and post-Minimalism.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Kunsthalle Bern
  • Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
  • Philip Morris
  • Ruder & Finn
  • Agentur für Geistige Gastarbeit
  • Museum of Obsessions
  • Deposito D'Arte Presente (DDP)
  • Galleria La Bertesca
  • Galleria Schwarz
  • Leo Castelli Gallery
  • Fischbach Gallery
  • Galerie Mickery
  • Galerie Loehr
  • Rolf Ricke Gallery
  • Ileana Sonnabend Gallery
  • Dwan Gallery
  • Tibor de Nagy Gallery
  • Institute of Contemporary Arts London
  • Museum Folkwang Essen
  • Museum Haus Lange Krefeld
  • Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven
  • Kröller-Müller Museum
  • Boijmans van Beuningen Museum
  • Jewish Museum New York
  • University of Groningen
  • St Martin's School of Art London
  • Total Design
  • Artforum
  • Arts Magazine
  • Art International
  • Domus
  • Frankfurter Rundschau
  • Süddeutsche Zeitung
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
  • The Sunday Times
  • Télévision Suisse Romande
  • Museumjournaal
  • Afterall
  • Royal College of Art
  • Open University
  • Yale University Press
  • Abrams
  • Stedelijk Museum
  • Galleria La Salita
  • Galerie Ricke

Locations

  • Bern
  • Switzerland
  • Amsterdam
  • Netherlands
  • Turin
  • Italy
  • Genoa
  • Amalfi
  • Rome
  • Milan
  • Venice
  • Kassel
  • Germany
  • Tegna
  • Swiss Alps
  • Monte Verità
  • Ascona
  • Arnhem
  • Enschede
  • Groningen
  • Finsterwolde
  • Heerlen
  • Rotterdam
  • Eindhoven
  • Utrecht
  • Loenersloot
  • Cologne
  • Düsseldorf
  • Essen
  • Krefeld
  • Frankfurt
  • Munich
  • London
  • England
  • Paris
  • France
  • New York
  • United States
  • San Francisco
  • Los Angeles
  • Las Vegas
  • Dallas
  • Chicago
  • New Jersey
  • Salt Lake City
  • Omaha
  • Cleveland
  • California
  • Nevada
  • Greenwich Village
  • Berkeley
  • Via San Fermo 3
  • 103 West 108th Street
  • 77th Street
  • 57th Street
  • Schiermonnikoog
  • Vlake
  • Zealand
  • Pieterburen

Sources

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