“FORTY”

The late 1960s and early 1970s in New York represented a time when the art world was smaller, more radical and more willing to take risks. Reflecting the societal upheavals of the time, artists in downtown Manhattan turned against the slick finish and market orientation of Pop Art, creating new ephemeral categories like earthworks, site-specific installations, Performance Art and video, all with an emphasis on the idea behind making art, rather than on the art object itself. The availability of cheap, expansive loft spaces meant that making money wasn’t that important, and a system of non-profit alternative galleries funded by Federal, State and city agencies sprang up to support and exhibit artists and their work. Out in Long Island City these trends culminated in the founding of PS1. Housed in a former school building, it was the largest alternative space of its type, and its inaugural show, “Rooms,” was essentially a summa of the ideas that had been percolating over the previous decade. Now, four decades on, the art world has become a machine of global capitalism and PS1 has become an annex of MoMA. However, for its Fortieth Anniversay, MoMA PS1 revisits the revolutionary spirit of its founding with a survey of historical and new works focused on installation, site-specificity and architecture.