When Attitudes Become Form 1969: Landmark Exhibition Revisited

Afterall's 'Explore' series revisits the seminal 1969 exhibitions 'Op Losse Schroeven' at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and 'When Attitudes Become Form' at Kunsthalle Bern, curated by Harald Szeemann. The exhibitions featured groundbreaking works by over 60 international artists, including Michael Heizer's Bern Depression (1969), for which a demolition firm made 25 wrecking-ball hits on the pavement outside the kunsthalle. At the Stedelijk, works by Arte Povera artists Giovanni Anselmo, Mario Merz, and Gilberto Zorio were installed in the entrance hall. Barry Flanagan's Two Space Rope Sculpture (1967) connected galleries, while Bruce Nauman, Robert Morris, and Richard Artschwager contributed works. Outside the Stedelijk, Jan Dibbets dug trenches at each corner for Museumsokkel met 4 hoeken van 90 o (1969), and Ger van Elk replaced pavement brickwork with glazed tiles for Luxurious Streetcorner (1969). Richard Serra installed Splash Piece (1968/69) on the museum's exterior, assisted by Philip Glass and Robert Fiore, but it was vandalized and removed before the opening. The exhibition ran from 22 March to 23 April 1969, closing a few days early.