Seth Siegelaub and Lucy Lippard's 1960s Collaboration on Conceptual Art and Political Activism
In a 2008 conversation, curator Seth Siegelaub reflected on his partnership with critic Lucy Lippard during the 1960s, highlighting the 1969 '557,087' exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum Pavilion, which uniquely utilized index cards as its display medium. Siegelaub's initiative, the International General, emphasized catalogues as the main exhibition format, bypassing traditional galleries. Both he and Lippard were active in anti-Vietnam War efforts, organizing benefit events such as the 1968 opening at Paula Cooper Gallery. Siegelaub collaborated with attorney Robert Projansky to create the Artists Rights and Transfer of Sales Agreement. Lippard’s political involvement intensified following a trip to Argentina in 1968. Additionally, Siegelaub criticized Benjamin Buchloh's 1989 writing for lacking political context and pointed out cost disparities between artists like Lawrence Weiner and Richard Serra.
Key facts
- Seth Siegelaub collaborated with Lucy Lippard on the 1969 exhibition '557,087' in Seattle
- Siegelaub pioneered using catalogues as exhibition spaces through International General
- Both were active in anti-Vietnam War activism, organizing benefit shows at Paula Cooper Gallery
- Siegelaub developed the Artists Rights and Transfer of Sales Agreement with Robert Projansky
- The New York avant-garde community in the 1960s consisted of about 100 people and 5-10 galleries
- Lippard's political awakening occurred during a 1968 trip to Argentina after contact with the Rosario Group
- Siegelaub criticized Benjamin Buchloh's 1989 Conceptual art text for omitting political context like Vietnam
- The '557,087' catalogue was sold for three dollars and distributed through George Wittenborn's bookshop
Entities
Artists
- Seth Siegelaub
- Lucy Lippard
- Jo Melvin
- Joseph Kosuth
- Christine Kozlov
- Klaus Kertess
- Dan Graham
- John Gibson
- Kasper König
- John Weber
- On Kawara
- Benjamin Buchloh
- Robert Huot
- Ron Wolin
- Ad Reinhardt
- Charles Harrison
- Carl Andre
- Kes Zapkus
- Brenda Miller
- Tom Lloyd
- César Chávez
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Bob Barry
- Hans Haacke
- Richard Artschwager
- Lawrence Weiner
- Richard Serra
- Peter Plagens
- Jack Burnham
- Germano Celant
- Michel Claura
- Gene Goossen
- Doug Huebler
- Ethan Lippard
- William Rubin
- Jennifer Licht
- John Perreault
- Barbara Reise
- Vassilakis Takis
- Bates Lowry
- Anne Focke
- Robert Projansky
- Jo Baer
- Bill Bollinger
- Dan Flavin
- Will Insley
- Donald Judd
- David Lee
- Sol LeWitt
- Robert Mangold
- Robert Murray
- Doug Ohlson
- Robert Ryman
- Mel Bochner
- Rosemarie Castoro
- Stephen Kaltenbach
- Michael Kirby
- Walter De Maria
- Robert Smithson
- Ian Wilson
- Marcel Duchamp
- Anne d'Harnoncourt
- Kynaston McShine
Institutions
- Afterall
- International General
- Lannis Gallery
- Dwan Gallery
- Bykert Gallery
- Paula Cooper Gallery
- Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam
- Socialist Workers Party
- New York Public Theater
- Shakespeare Theater
- Art Workers' Coalition
- Museum of Modern Art
- United States Services Fund
- Viacom
- George Wittenborn's bookshop
- Max's Kansas City
- Sotheby's
- Seattle Art Museum Pavilion
- Vancouver Art Gallery
- School of Visual Arts
- New Museum
- Village Voice
- Studio International
- New York Times
- Fischbach Gallery
- The Jewish Museum
- Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris
- Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
- Tate
- Museum of Contemporary Art
- MIT Press
- University of California Press
- Open Hearings
Locations
- Seattle
- United States
- New York
- Argentina
- Peru
- Vancouver
- Canada
- California
- London
- England
- Italy
- France
- Europe
- Vietnam
- Iraq
- Paris
- Rosario
- Broadway
- 8th Street
- Lafayette Street
- 14th Street
Sources
- Afterall —