Face-to-face: The American National exhibition in Moscow, 1959/2015 in collaboration with the Museum of American Art in Berlin (MoAA)

DESCRIPTION

Produced in collaboration with MoAA, Face-to-Face is devoted to the landmark American National Exhibition that took place in Moscow in 1959, and explores its reverberations in Soviet culture. In current socio-political context, the “resurrection” of the legendary show also highlights the importance of such “face to face” encounters not only for culture, but also for politics.

Partial reconstruction of the original exhibition, including artworks and elements of the design, was presented in Field Research: A Progress Report alongside rare primary materials and artefacts, historical reviews, films, recollections, and comments from visitors and tour guides. Americanist Dr Victoria Zhuravleva and historian Alexander Shubin provided academic guidance in reconstructing the cultural and geopolitical contexts to reassess the importance of the event today.

Status: 2013–2015

ABOUT THE INSTITUTION

The Museum of American Art in Berlin is an educational institution dedicated to assembling, preserving, and exhibiting memories of modern American art shown in Europe during the 1950s and early 1960s. Since 2004 it has hosted a permanent exhibit in Berlin, with copy paintings of Abstract Expressionism, and organizes temporary exhibitions about American art exhibitions, as well as housing several other collections. As Walter Benjamin—the museum’s self-appointed spokesman—explains, "Not only is the timeline closed [from 1920 to 1960] but the institution is not an art museum. In fact, by not being an art museum it is a ‘real museum of art,’ a place where art, art history, and the art museum are being remembered."

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Here we’ve put together materials to help you get ready for a visit to the Museum or to take a deep dive into the current programs at Garage.

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