“Forty” at MoMA PS1

MoMA PS1 presents “Forty”, an exhibition celebrating the institution’s 40th anniversary featuring work by over 40 artists who were key participants in the early years of the center.

Installation view of Ba-O-Ba Fluorescent by Keith Sonnier in FORTY. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Pete Deevakul.

MoMA PS1 presents “Forty”, an exhibition celebrating the institution’s 40th anniversary, organized its founder, Alanna Heiss. It features work by over 40 artists who were key participants in the 1970s alternative art spaces movement and the early years of the center.

Installation view of There’s a Mermaid in the Attic by Colette in FORTY. Image courtesy of MoMA PS1. Photo by Pablo Enriquez — **Top:** Installation view of *Ba-O-Ba Fluorescent* by Keith Sonnier in FORTY. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Pete Deevakul
**Above:** Installation view of *There’s a Mermaid in the Attic* by Colette in FORTY. Image courtesy of MoMA PS1. Photo by Pablo Enriquez

In 1976, Alanna Heiss founded P.S.1 as the latest venture in a series of pioneering projects organized through her non-profit organization, the Institute for Art and Urban Resources, which included the Clocktower Gallery in lower Manhattan and other disused spaces across New York City. With both the intellectual and physical room to experiment, nearly 80 artists created work for P.S.1’s inaugural 1976 show, “Rooms”, which has since become a landmark in the art history of 1970s New York.

Installation view of ROPE DRAWING NO. 19, REDUX by Brian O’Doherty in FORTY. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Pablo Enriquez — Installation view of *ROPE DRAWING NO. 19, REDUX* by Brian O’Doherty in FORTY. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Pablo Enriquez

The artists used classrooms, stairwells, windows, closets, bathrooms, the boiler room, courtyard, and attic — often engaging directly with the existing architecture. Rooms catalyzed changes in the forms and methods of making art, and expanded ideas about how it could be shown.

Installation view of FORTY. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Pablo Enriquez.

Four decades later, “Forty” revisits the work of many of the artists who participated in the inaugural exhibition, in some cases featuring works shown in Rooms. Presented across the museum’s second floor galleries, it revisits the radical vision and experimental spirit that characterized P.S.1's early years.

Installation view of Four by Barry Le Va and ARRANGED AS (TO) ARRANGED AS [TO] by Lawrence Weiner in FORTY. Image courtesy of MoMA PS1. Photo by Pablo Enriquez — Installation view of *Four by Barry Le Va* and *ARRANGED AS (TO) ARRANGED AS [TO]* by Lawrence Weiner in FORTY. Image courtesy of MoMA PS1. Photo by Pablo Enriquez

“Forty” features work by Cecile Abish, Laurie Anderson, Carl Andre, Richard Artschwager, John Baldessari, Jennifer Bartlett, Lynda Benglis, James Bishop, Daniel Buren, Colette, Ron Gorchov, Dan Graham, Robert Grosvenor, Marcia Hafif, David Hammons, Jene Highstein, Nancy Holt, Bill Jensen, Richard “Dickie” Landry, Barry Le Va, Sol LeWitt, Gordon Matta-Clark, John McCracken, Mary Miss, Max Neuhaus, Richard Nonas, Brian O’Doherty, Dennis Oppenheim, Nam June Paik, Howardena Pindell, Robert Ryman, Alan Saret, Joel Shapiro, Judith Shea, Charles Simonds, Keith Sonnier, Pat Steir, Michelle Stuart, Lawrence Weiner, Doug Wheeler, Jackie Winsor, and Robert Yasuda.

Installation view of Uncarved Blocks by Carl Andre in FORTY. Image courtesy of MoMA PS1. Photo by Pete Deevakul. — Installation view of *Uncarved Blocks* by Carl Andre in FORTY. Image courtesy of MoMA PS1. Photo by Pete Deevakul.

until 28 August 2016
Forty
organized by Alanna Heiss
MoMA PS1
22-25 Jackson Ave. New York

Domus

“Forty” at MoMA PS1

MoMA PS1 presents “Forty”, an exhibition celebrating the institution’s 40th anniversary featuring work by over 40 artists who were key participants in the early years of the center.

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