Large-scale art faces destruction and dispersal due to funding and logistical constraints
The exhibition at the Grand Palais dedicated to Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, and Pontus Hultén is notably missing de Saint Phalle's 1966 sculpture Hon, which was destroyed, leaving only its remnants. In a similar vein, UK artist Isabella Streffen's installation Hawk & Dove (2012) at the US Library of Congress was also lost due to storage expenses, with some components later utilized at De Montfort University. A report from Warwick University in 2024 indicated that arts funding in the UK is 44% lower per capita compared to the European average. The inaugural issue of Artists' Drawings magazine addresses sculpture and the difficulties associated with large-scale projects. Following its destruction, Hon's fragments gained commercial value, yet its feminist narrative was overshadowed, represented merely by a photograph in the 2008 WACK! exhibition at MoMA PS1.
Key facts
- Niki de Saint Phalle's Hon (1966) was deliberately destroyed, with only fragments remaining.
- The exhibition at the Grand Palais is dedicated to Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, and Pontus Hultén.
- Isabella Streffen's Hawk & Dove (2012) installation cost about $30,000 plus $10,000 in residency costs.
- Streffen's work was destroyed and recycled due to unaffordable storage costs.
- UK state arts funding is 44% lower per capita than the European average, according to Warwick University's 2024 report.
- Artists' Drawings magazine's first edition focuses on sculpture and drawing as alternatives to physical creation.
- Laura Fitzgerald creates large-scale work in Ireland but faces prohibitive transport costs.
- Hon was represented only by a photo in the 2008 WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution exhibition at MoMA PS1.
Entities
Artists
- Niki de Saint Phalle
- Jean Tinguely
- Pontus Hultén
- Per Olof Ultvedt
- Isabella Streffen
- Laura Fitzgerald
Institutions
- Pompidou Centre
- Grand Palais
- Arts & Humanities Research Council
- Arts Council England
- DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities
- De Montfort University
- Warwick University
- Artists' Drawings
- MoMA PS1
- US Library of Congress
Locations
- Leicester
- UK
- Ireland
- Europe