Preservation and Presentation of Installation Art

Kosuth, Joseph

Glass (one and three)

1. Installation history
2. 'Recent acquisitions', Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo
3. 'Una Giornata al Mare', Kröller-Müller Museum
4. 'Raw Material', Kröller-Müller Museum
5. 'A choice from the collection Visser', Kröller-Müller Museum
6. 'Conceptual Art in The Netherlands and Belgium 1965-1975', Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
7. 'Inside Installations I', Kröller-Müller Museum
8. 'Inside Installations II', Kröller-Müller Museum

8. 'Inside Installations II', Kröller-Müller Museum (2007)
creator(s) Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo
publisher Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

During 'Inside Installations II', March 21 - June 3, 2007, the Kröller-Müller Museum presented 'Glass (one and three)' in a site-related version first time. After an elaborate research it became clear that it would be 'best practice' to show the work with a site related photograph. This means that the photograph of the object in the installation should show the very surroundings of where the work is installed so that the photograph would show the same background. By doing so, the image of the object in the installation would be as transparent as possible, less an object, a photograph, by itself – merely an image. This suits the idea of the 'object definition' that Kosuth developed. Even though Kosuth might have refined his ideas about the nature of his work over time, including the necessity of the replacement of the photograph as an imperative, at the time ’Glass (one and three)’ was first realized, he obviously had began to work with glass. And that was for a reason that supported his idea of the perfect object definition. Glass could serve as an object as transparent as possible, as a site related photograph would serve as transparent an image as possible. Furthermore the writings of the artist and proclamations in interviews that state that the photograph should be replaced all date from before the first document of the existence of ’Glass (one and three)’. Research into the installation history and the curatorial management of similar ’object definitions’ support the idea as well (see case research - comparable work).
The realization of the new or actual form of ’Glass (one and three)’ was a result of the research project ’Inside Installations: Preservation and Presentation of Installation Art’. During the exhibition organized around this research project the two previous photographs once used in the installation were on display on an adjacent wall to communicate the history of the installation to the public. This was supported with display of the certificate of ’Glass (one and three)’ and writings and publications about the work.

PHOTO: Sanneke Stigter / KMM