Marinus Boezem on 'Op Losse Schroeven' and 'When Attitudes Become Form'
In a 2009 conversation with Steven ten Thije, Dutch artist Marinus Boezem reflects on his involvement in the 1969 exhibitions 'Op Losse Schroeven' at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and 'When Attitudes Become Form' at Kunsthalle Bern. Boezem, who recognized air as a plastic medium in 1963, held a solo exhibition titled 'Air Environment' in 1968 and participated in 'Arte Povera + Azioni Povere' that same year. At 'Op Losse Schroeven', he showcased weather maps, a light box featuring the Beaufort Scale, and bed sheets. He influenced curator Wim Beeren and Harald Szeemann, highlighting their differing methodologies. Alongside Ger van Elk, Boezem introduced the term 'unsellable art' and critiqued the US-dominated art scene, advocating for a European perspective. Beeren championed radical artistic expressions, empowering creators.
Key facts
- Marinus Boezem discovered air as a plastic material in 1963.
- He had solo exhibition 'Air Environment' at Galerie Swart, Amsterdam, 1968.
- He shared an exhibition with Jan Dibbets and Ger van Elk at Galerie Swart in 1968.
- All three participated in 'Arte Povera + Azioni Povere' in Amalfi, Italy, 1968.
- For 'Op Losse Schroeven', Boezem showed weather maps from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, a Beaufort Scale light box, and a newscaster's voice reading forecasts.
- One of his weather maps was on the cover of the 'Op Losse Schroeven' catalogue.
- He also contributed 'Bed Sheets from the Windows of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam' (1969).
- For 'When Attitudes Become Form', his 'Windows' (1968) with bed sheets was installed in a school near Kunsthalle Bern.
- Boezem met Piero Gilardi around 1964–65; Gilardi connected European avant-gardes.
- Curator Wim Beeren visited Boezem in Schoonrewoerd and learned about Arte Povera from his photos.
- Boezem helped persuade Stedelijk director Edy de Wilde to support the exhibition.
- Boezem influenced Harald Szeemann to change his planned kinetic art show to 'When Attitudes Become Form'.
- Boezem and Ger van Elk coined the term 'unsellable art' and often discarded works.
- Jan Dibbets dug holes to expose museum foundations for his contribution to 'Op Losse Schroeven'.
- Boezem considered Beeren the real innovator for giving power to artists.
Entities
Artists
- Marinus Boezem
- Jan Dibbets
- Ger van Elk
- Yves Klein
- Piero Manzoni
- Piero Gilardi
- Bruce Nauman
- Andy Warhol
- Richard Long
- Joseph Beuys
- Mario Merz
- Pier Paolo Calzolari
- Michelangelo Pistoletto
- Marcel Broodthaers
- Jannis Kounellis
- Gilberto Zorio
- Richard Serra
- Panamarenko
- Armando
- Daniel Spoerri
- Lucio Fontana
- Robert Morris
- Wim T. Schippers
- Tommaso Trini
- Maria-Rosa Boezem
- Rudi Fuchs
Institutions
- Afterall
- Galerie Swart
- Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
- Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- Kunsthalle Bern
- Galerie Mickery
- Warhol's Factory
- Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
- Wide White Space gallery
- Philip Morris
- Institute for Art History at Leiden University
- De Gids
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Amalfi
- Italy
- Schoonrewoerd
- Leerdam
- Loenersloot
- Bern
- Switzerland
- Antwerp
- Belgium
- Los Angeles
- United States
Sources
- Afterall —