Before diving into an expansive art practice that would catapult him into the post-war constellation, Marcel Broodthaers was engaged in a fervent literary practice that some argue endured the test of time. A new show “Marcel Broodthaers: Écriture” at the Michael Werner gallery aims to unearth the influence of writing on the Belgian artist’s work, an influence that persisted throughout his artistic career.
“It's like a little bit of a focus in a sense,” gallery director Gordon VeneKlasen told artnet News in a phone conversation. “The idea of the show is about Broodthaers and writing, and how language, in a sense, through a group of key works, plays a big part in the artist’s work. He is an artist we represented while he was alive, and we’ve worked with his estate for fifty years now. It made sense to put together a show.”
Alternatively, Paul Kasmin gallery will be hosting a Marcel Broodthaers show of their own beginning March 3. The exhibition, titled “Complete Editions and Other Works,” brings together the complete set of his 26 editioned prints from 1964-1975 and 20 of his artist books from 1957-1975.
Both shows runs concurrent with his full-bodied retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, serving as a welcome companion show of film, collage, sculpture, and drawing that collectively work towards a singular direction.
