International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, IL

Discreetly located north of downtown in an elegant lakeside townhouse, the International Museum of Surgical Science is one of Chicago’s more hidden attractions. Although the Gold Coast mansion itself may be enough to draw the casual attention of commuters and tourists making their way along Lake Shore Drive, no large signs or neighborhood flags will alert passersby to the structure’s varied (and variably disturbing) contents. Yet, for those with an interest in medical history, Chicago architecture, museology, or the drily macabre, the museum is worth seeking out.

As befitting its subject matter, the exhibits tend to be object-based, low-tech, and straightforwardly displayed in ways that make clever use of the pre-existing historic space, often utilizing art for both illustrative and dramatic purposes. It’s a fun—or at least fun-ish—destination for a half-day visit, even if the entrance fee ($15 at the time of writing, no AAM membership accepted) felt a little steep.

Current admissions information can be found here.

All photos by Renée DeVoe Mertz, June 25, 2015.

Portraits of the Modern European Galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago

Henri Matisse, The Serf (1900-04) in front of Bathers by a River (1909–10, 1913, 1916–17)

Pablo Picasso, Half-Length Female Nude [detail], 1906
Amedeo Modigliani, Jacques and Berthe Lipchitz [detail of Berthe], 1916

Amadeo de Souza Cardoso, The Leap of the Rabbit, 1911
Maurice de Vlaminck, Houses at Chatou, c. 1905
Alexei Jawlensky, Girl with the Green Face, 1910
Henri Matisse, Woman Leaning on Her Hands, 1905
Pablo Picasso, Head of a Woman (Fernande), autumn 1909
Pablo Picasso, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, autumn 1910
Gino Severini, Festival in Montmarte, 1913

Jacques Lipchitz, Seated Figure [detail], 1917
Alberto Giacometti, Diego Seated in the Studio [detail], 1950
Alberto Giacometti, Walking Man II [detail], 1960

Theo van Doesburg, Counter-Composition VIII, 1924
Marc Chagall, The Praying Jew, 1923 (after a 1914 composition)
Henri Matisse, Lorette with Cup of Coffee [detail], 1916–17
Constantin Brâncusi, Sleeping Muse, 1910
Giorgio de Chirico, The Philosopher’s Conquest, 1913–14
Marcel Duchamp, Hat Rack, 1964 (1916 original now lost)
Hans Bellmer, Untitled, 1951
Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitarist, 1903–04
Constantin Brâncusi, Suffering, 1907
Juan Gris, Portrait of Pablo Picasso, 1912
Constantin Brâncusi, Two Penguins, 1911–14
Pablo Picasso, Abstraction: Background with Blue Cloudy Sky, 1930

Matta, Untitled (Flying People Eaters) [detail], 1942
Max Ernst, Spanish Physician [detail], 1940
Oskar Kokoschka, Commerce Counselor Ebenstein [detail], 1908
Franz Marc, The Bewitched Mill [detail], 1913

Emil Nolde, Red-Haired Girl, 1919
Victor Brauner, Gemini, 1938
Henri Matisse, Girl in Yellow and Blue with Guitar, 1939
Pablo Picasso, Mother and Child, 1921

Henri Matisse, Woman before an Aquarium [detail], 1921–23
Giorgio de Chirico, The Eventuality of Destiny [detail], 1927

Constantin Brâncusi, White Negress II (1928), Leda (c. 1920), and Golden Bird (1919/20, base c. 1922)
Yves Tanguy, The Rapidity of Sleep [detail], 1945
Paul Klee, Sunset, 1930
Joan Miró, Woman [detail], 1934
Gino Severini, Still Life (Centrifugal Expansion of Colors), 1916
Lyonel Feininger, Longeuil, Normandie, 1909
Alberto Giacometti, Spoon Woman, 1926–27
Pavel Tchelitchew, Untitled, 1948
Georges Rouault, The Dwarf, 1937
Aleksei Alekseevich Morgunov, Portrait of Nathalija Gontcharova and Mihajl Larionov [detail of Gontcharova], 1913
Arshile Gorky, The Plough and the Song (II), 1946

Ludwig Meidner, Max Herrmann-Neisse [detail], 1913
Le Corbusier, Untitled [detail], 1932

Jean (Hans) Arp, Growth (1938/60) in front of Joan Miró’s The Policeman (1925)
Leonora Carrington, Juan Soriano de Lacandón [detail], 1964
John D. Graham, Untitled, 1945

Max Beckmann, Self-Portrait [detail], 1937
John D. Graham, Apotheosis [detail], 1955-57
Matta, The Earth Is a Man [detail], 1942
Joan Miró, Two Personages in Love with a Woman [detail of woman], 1936
Matta, Untitled (Flying People Eaters) [detail], 1942
Salvador Dalí, Venus de Milo with Drawers [detail], 1936
Pablo Picasso, The Red Armchair [detail], 1931

Victor Brauner, Acolo, 1949
John D. Graham, Untitled, 1944
Alberto Giacometti, Head, 1934
Yves Tanguy, Untitled, 1928
Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Forgotten Game), c. 1949
Salvador Dalí, A Chemist Lifting with Extreme Precaution the Cuticle of a Grand Piano [detail], 1936
Victor Brauner, Turning Point of Thirst, 1934
Salvador Dalí, Portrait of Gala with Two Lamb Chops in Equilibrium upon Her Shoulder, 1934
Surrealist gallery with René Magritte’s The Banquet (1958) and a wall of Cornell boxes.

All photos by author. Paintings shown without frames are cropped to varying degrees. Photographs showing only a small portion (half or less) of the original objects are listed as details.

Portraits of the Ancient Americas Galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago

Vessel in the Form of a Seated Ruler with a Pampas Cat, ceramic and pigment, 250/550 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Vessel in the Form of a Seated Ruler with a Pampas Cat, ceramic and pigment, 250/550 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Bowl Depicting a Mask (Possibly a Katchina), above an Abstract Bighorn-Sheep Head, ceramic and pigment, 1300/1400 CE, Four Mile Polychrome, White Mountain Redware; Cibola region, east-central Arizona, United States
Bowl Depicting a Mask (Possibly a Katchina), above an Abstract Bighorn-Sheep Head, ceramic and pigment, 1300/1400 CE, Four Mile Polychrome, White Mountain Redware; Cibola region, east-central Arizona, United States
Figure of a Woman in Ceremonial Dress, ceramic, 700/900 CE, possibly Totonac, Nopiloa; Veracruz, south-central Gulf Coast, Mexico
Figure of a Woman in Ceremonial Dress, ceramic, 700/900 CE, possibly Totonac, Nopiloa; Veracruz, south-central Gulf Coast, Mexico
Seated Joined Couple, ceramic and pigment, 200 BCE/300 CE, Nayarit; Nayarit, Mexico
Seated Joined Couple, ceramic and pigment, 200 BCE/300 CE, Nayarit; Nayarit, Mexico
Miniature Mask, wood, gold foil, shell, pigment, and resin, 1300/1400 CE, possibly Mixtec; possibly northern Oaxaca, Mexico
Miniature Mask, wood, gold foil, shell, pigment, and resin, 1300/1400 CE, possibly Mixtec; possibly northern Oaxaca, Mexico
Standing Figurine with Missing Leg, jade, 800/400 BCE, Olmec; Guerrero, Mexico
Standing Figurine with Missing Leg, jade, 800/400 BCE, Olmec; Guerrero, Mexico
Vessel Depicting a Mythological Scene, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Petén region, Guatemala
Vessel Depicting a Mythological Scene, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Petén region, Guatemala
Portrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Portrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Head Fragments from Large Ceremonial Jars, ceramic and pigment, 700/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; Pacheco, south coast, Peru
Head Fragments from Large Ceremonial Jars, ceramic and pigment, 700/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; Pacheco, south coast, Peru
Hieroglyphic Panel, limestone, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Usumacinta River area, Mexico or Guatemala
Hieroglyphic Panel, limestone, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Usumacinta River area, Mexico or Guatemala
Storyteller Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100/800 CE, Jalisco; Ameca Valley, Jalisco, Mexico
Storyteller Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100/800 CE, Jalisco; Ameca Valley, Jalisco, Mexico
Vase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala
Vase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala
Bowl Depicting a Hero-Hunter with a Heron Headdress, Bow, and Arrows, along with a Rabbit Hunter; ceramic and pigment (Classic Mimbres Black-on-white); Mimbres branch of the Mogollon; New Mexico, United States
Bowl Depicting a Hero-Hunter with a Heron Headdress, Bow, and Arrows, along with a Rabbit Hunter; ceramic and pigment (Classic Mimbres Black-on-white); Mimbres branch of the Mogollon; New Mexico, United States
Mosaic Disk with a Mythological and Historical Scene, turquoise, shell, and sandstone, 1400/1500 CE, Mixtec; Northern Oaxaca, Mexico
Mosaic Disk with a Mythological and Historical Scene, turquoise, shell, and sandstone, 1400/1500 CE, Mixtec; Northern Oaxaca, Mexico
Mask from an Incense Burner Portraying the Old Deity of Fire, ceramic and pigment, 450/750 CE, Teotihuacan; Teotihuacan, Mexico
Ballcourt Panel, limestone, 700/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; possibly La Corona, Usumacinta River area, Guatemala
Ballcourt Panel, limestone, 700/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; possibly La Corona, Usumacinta River area, Guatemala
Figurine of an Aristocratic Lady, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico
Figurine of an Aristocratic Lady, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico
Vessel of the Dancing Lords, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala
Vessel of the Dancing Lords, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala
Ritual Impersonator of the Deity Xipe Totec, ceramic and pigment, 1450/1500 CE, Aztec; possibly central Veracruz, Mexico
Ritual Impersonator of the Deity Xipe Totec, ceramic and pigment, 1450/1500 CE, Aztec; possibly central Veracruz, Mexico
Female Figurine, ceramic and pigment, 500/400 BCE, Tlatilco; Tlatilco, Valley of Mexico, Mexico
Female Figurine, ceramic and pigment, 500/400 BCE, Tlatilco; Tlatilco, Valley of Mexico, Mexico
Vessels, ceramic and pigment, Late Classic Maya, Mexico or Guatemala
Vessels, ceramic and pigment, Late Classic Maya, Mexico or Guatemala
Stela, limestone, 702 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Calakmul, Campeche or Quintana Roo, Mexico
Stela, limestone, 702 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Calakmul, Campeche or Quintana Roo, Mexico
Jar in the Form of a Standing Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Jar in the Form of a Standing Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Female Effigy, terracotta and pigmented slip, 200/100 BCE, Chupícuaro; Guanajuato or Michoacán, Mexico
Female Effigy, terracotta and pigmented slip, 200/100 BCE, Chupícuaro; Guanajuato or Michoacán, Mexico
Standing Male Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico
Standing Male Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico
Pendant in the Form of a Figure, shell stone, silver, copper, and cotton, 400/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; coastal Peru or highland Bolivia
Pendant in the Form of a Figure, shell stone, silver, copper, and cotton, 400/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; coastal Peru or highland Bolivia
Carved Vessel Depicting a Lord Wearing a Water-Lily Headdress, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Chocholá; Yucatán or Campeche, Mexico
Carved Vessel Depicting a Lord Wearing a Water-Lily Headdress, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Chocholá; Yucatán or Campeche, Mexico
Portrait Vessel of a Young Man with a Scarred Lip, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Portrait Vessel of a Young Man with a Scarred Lip, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Bowl Depicting a Harvest Dance, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru
Bowl Depicting a Harvest Dance, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru
Portrait Vessel of a Man with a Cleft Lip and Tattoos, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Portrait Vessel of a Man with a Cleft Lip and Tattoos, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Pedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 1100/1300 CE, Coclé; possibly La Peña, Veraguas province, Panama
Pedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 1100/1300 CE, Coclé; possibly La Peña, Veraguas province, Panama
Vessel Depicting a Prisoner with Avian Captors, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Vessel Depicting a Prisoner with Avian Captors, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Vessel in the Form of a Llama, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, Peru
Vessel in the Form of a Llama, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, Peru
Portrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Portrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Rattle in the Form of a Mythological Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico
Rattle in the Form of a Mythological Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico
Vessel in the Form of a Royal Messenger, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Vessel in the Form of a Royal Messenger, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Figure of a Standing Warrior, ceramic with pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico
Figure of a Standing Warrior, ceramic with pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, Mexico
Vessel in the Form of a Courtly Musician, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Vessel in the Form of a Courtly Musician, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Vessel in the Form of a Warrior, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, north coast, Peru
Vessel in the Form of a Warrior, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, north coast, Peru
Drinking Cup (Kero) with an Abstracted Masked Figure, ceramic and pigment, 600/1000 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari, Bolivia or Peru
Drinking Cup (Kero) with an Abstracted Masked Figure, ceramic and pigment, 600/1000 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari, Bolivia or Peru
Bowl Depicting a Swarm of Mice, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru
Bowl Depicting a Swarm of Mice, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru
Double Pendant in the Form of a Mythical Caiman, gold with plaster restoration of boar tusks, 800/1200 CE, Coclé; Coclé province, Panama
Double Pendant in the Form of a Mythical Caiman, gold with plaster restoration of boar tusks, 800/1200 CE, Coclé; Coclé province, Panama
Vase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala
Vase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, Guatemala
Mantle (detail), camelid wool, 100 BCE/200 CE, Paracas Necropolis; Paracas peninsula, south coast, Peru
Double-Spouted Vessel Depicting Ritual Masks, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru
Double-Spouted Vessel Depicting Ritual Masks, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, Peru
Pedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 700/1100 CE, Coclé; possibly Los Santos province, Panama
Pedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 700/1100 CE, Coclé; possibly Los Santos province, Panama
Jar in the Form of a Seated Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Jar in the Form of a Seated Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru

All photos by Renée DeVoe Mertz

Portraits of the Asian Art Galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago

Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), gilt copper alloy, late 14th century, Yuan/early Ming dynasty, China
Gonzaze Myō-ō, Nakabayashi Gennai, wood with polychromy, 1680 [Edo period], Japan
Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China
Armored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China
Head of a Bodhisattva, stucco with traces of pigment, 4th/6th century, Pakistan or Afghanistan, Gandharan region
Vajrasattva Seated on Lotus Flower with Hands Grasping a Thunderbolt (Vajra) and Bell (Ghanta) with Thunderbolt Handle, gilt copper alloy, Tang dynasty, late 8th/early 9th century, China
Detail of saddle on “Camel with Rider,” earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China
Plaque with Demonic Mask, Late Neolithic period, Longshan culture or Shang dynasty, 2nd millenium BCE
Pensive Bodhisattva, gray schist, 2nd/3rd century, Pakistan, Gandharan region
Head of a Buddhist Deity, Possibly Prajnaparamita, sandstone, Angkor period, 13th century, Cambodia
Shūkongōjin, wood with traces of polychromy, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan
Female Musician, earthenware with polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China
Armored Guardian (Wushiyong), earthenware with polychrome pigments and gilding, Tang dynasty, late 7th/early 8th century, China
Ding (tripod food caldron) with tao-tie design, bronze, Shang dynasty, 11th century BCE, China
“Running in Advance” Mask (Shinshōtoku), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], Japan
Equestrienne, earthenware with traces of polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, 2nd quarter of 8th century, China
Four-Armed Sarasvati, Goddess of Learning, Seated in Lotus Position (Padmasana), chloritic schist, Hoyasala period, 13th century; India, Karnataka, Mysore region
Votive Plaque with God Vishnu; gilt bronze with ivory, semiprecious stones, crystal, and glass; c. 19th century; Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, sandstone, Angkor period, 12th/13th century, Cambodia
Fudō Myō-ō, wood with polychromy and gilt-bronze accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan
Groom, earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China
Demon Mask (Tsuina-men), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], Japan
Entertainer (Tomb Figure), buff earthenware with pigment, Northern Dynasties, 6th century, China
Lakshmana, from Panel with Lakshmana and Hanuman, the Monkey God, terracotta, Gupta period, 4th/5th century; India, Uttar Pradesh
Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China
Sōgyō Hachiman, wood with traces of white pigment, Heian period, 10th century, Japan
Seitaka Dōji, wood with traces of polychromy, 15th century [Muromachi period], Japan
Snake Goddess Manasa, basalt, 11th century, Bangladesh or Eastern India
Zenzai Dōji, wood with glass and polychromy and metal accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], Japan
Twenty-Armed Dancing God Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles, buff sandstone, 11th century, India (Madhya Pradesh)
Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, China
Bodhisattva, limestone with traces of polychromy, Tang dynasty, 8th century, China
Armored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, China
Weight in the form of nested birds, gilt bronze, Tang dynasty (618-907), China

All photos by Renée DeVoe Mertz

“The Language of Less: Then and Now,” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

Dan Flavin (American, 1933–96), Untitled (for you, Leo, in long respect and affection) 3, 1978

Collection-based shows are always problematic because, to an even greater extent than in other exhibitions, the story they tell is limited and skewed by the parameters of a single institution’s holdings. However, every exhibition narrative is necessarily biased, and the particular kind of limitation intrinsic to the collection show is at least upfront and obvious.

In some instances, these limits can in fact create a useful lens through which to disrupt more familiar stories of an idea or time period. In the case of The Language of Less: Then and Now, currently on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, the all-too-pat historical understanding of “Minimalism” as a masculine, New York-based movement is troubled by the exhibition’s more global and gender-balanced approach.At the same time, both the objects on display and the labels or wall texts accompanying them provide a clear introduction to the ideas behind the push towards simplified forms in the 1960s and beyond that is still broadly referred to as Minimalism. The exhibition (which is split into larger and smaller halves of historical and recent art) therefore offers fertile ground for the thoughts of those already familiar with the history of contemporary art as well as anyone looking for a means of developing an appreciation of Minimalist objects.

Robert Smithson (American, 1938–73), Mirror Stratum, 1966

Smithson―who is perhaps still best remembered for his earthwork project in Utah’s Great Salt Lake, Spiral Jetty (1970)―is featured prominently in the exhibit with two rarely seen works, Mirror Stratum (above) and an untitled aluminum wall sculpture from the Stenn Family collection. Both pieces exemplify the artist’s interest in the repeated forms which comprise the basis of both natural structures and ancient architecture.

Mirror Stratum, a corner piece consisting of a series of square mirrors stacked in order of decreasing size, is particularly evocative of both the Mayan pyramids and crystalline formations that frequently loomed large in Smithson’s thinking and production. As such, the work exemplifies a kind of Minimalist production based on simple arrangements of repeated, industrially produced objects that manage to poetically suggest a far-reaching range of subject matter.In addition, just as Flavin’s light sculptures (above) command not only the space physically occupied by fluorescent tubing but all of the area filled by their light, Smithson’s stacked mirrors produce a reflected pattern on the wall that extends far above the objects themselves. While this is consistent with a common Minimalist concern with an object’s ability to activate and define the space around it, the effect is also specifically related to what the wall text describes as Smithson’s interest in mirrors as a material that was both “physically present and immaterial, a quality that puts the viewer on heightened alert.”

Foreground: Alan Sonfist (American, b. 1946), Earth Monument to Chicago, 1965–77 [core samples from beneath the city of Chicago ordered according to color and material]. Background, center: Charlotte Posenenske (German, 1930–85), Series DW Vierkantrohre (Square Tubes), 1967.
Posenenske’s cardboard sculpture is actually composed of interchangeable components. The single work can therefore appear in various but limited arrangements depending on the choices made by whoever displays it. The assembled versions represent a collaboration between the artist—who was responsible for the character and number of the individual components—and the past, present, and future installers who determine its overall form.While American Minimalists like Donald Judd also created sculptural compositions based on the arrangement of individual units, these units are typically either identical or mathematically related in size and require installers to follow very particular directions dictated by the artist. They therefore lack the variability and interactivity encouraged by Posenenske’s production.

On wall: Richard Tuttle (American, b. 1941), Purple Octagonal, 1967. On floor: Franz Erhard Walther (German, b. 1939), Netz (Net), 1963.

Walther’s fishing net shares the grid aesthetic of classic Minimalism. However, as a found and interactive object dependent on its placement within a gallery space for its status as art, it also possesses a heightened gestural quality that clearly bridges Conceptualism.

Tuttle also sought an open quality that is lacking in the contemporary production of many of his compatriots working within the Minimalist paradigm. Here, his dyed canvas lacks a clear top or bottom (and front or back) and can be installed anywhere in a room.

Michelle Stuart (American, b. 1938), Turtle Pond, 1974

One commonality shared by many Minimalist artists is a concern with systems, often represented by the repeated forms of the grid. As noted by the exhibition’s curators, Stuart maintains this interest in “vast systems,” but turns instead to concrete models present in nature rather than the rigid, abstracted form of the grid. The complex, varied surface of Turtle Pond is actually a rubbing of soil, yet it suggests any number of subjects, from the pond of its title to the expanse of the universe.

Daniel Buren (French, b. 1938), Zu Unterstreichen (To Underline), 1989

Although To Underline was made in 1989, its origins lie in the 1960s when Buren began making paintings on striped awning. The found structure imposed by the pre-made stripes (a technique initially explored in the late 1950s by Frank Stella in his Black Paintings) helped to create a unity between individual paintings while drawing attention to the dimensions of each canvas.

Foreground: Richard Serra (American, b. 1939), Prop, 1968 [lead antimony]. Background: Bruce Nauman (American, b. 1941), Untitled, 1965 [fiberglass and polyester resin].
 Like many works in the exhibition, both Serra’s and Nauman’s objects traverse the floor and wall, suggesting a merging of painting and sculpture. In juxtaposition with one another, these deceptively simple works also offer evidence of diverging and surprisingly complex personas: Serra’s daring, stiff, austere, carefully calculated, and potentially dangerous installation seems almost aggressively (or perhaps stereotypically) masculine beside Nauman’s colorful and humorous, but also pathetically flaccid and delicate, sculpture.

Carol Bove (American, b. Switzerland, 1971), Polka Dots, 2011 [bronze, steel, concrete, and shells] in front of Harlequin, 2011 [Plexiglas and expanded sheet metal]
Carol Bove (American, b. Switzerland, 1971), Untitled, 2011 [peacock feathers on linen]
Filling the first gallery of the “Now” section of the exhibit, Bove’s objects clearly reflect Minimalism’s fondness for the repeated form of the grid as well as industrial materials and a consciousness of the surrounding space. However, unlike her predecessors, she also often incorporates delicate, natural materials—such as feathers and shells—into her works.

Oscar Tuazon (American, b. 1975; lives and works in France), I gave my name to it, 2010 [steel plate and fluorescent lamps]
Tuazon’s use of fluorescent lights is clearly reminiscent of Flavin’s light sculptures. However, in I gave my name to it, the fluorescents’ placement under a steel plate on the floor both muffles the light produced by the fixtures and creates a tension between the delicacy of the lamps and the weight of the metal. More generally, Tuazon’s production tends to relinquish Minimalism’s concern with pristine form based on industrial production in favor of a rougher, more do-it-yourself aesthetic.

Additionally, The Language of Less compliments the content of the monographic exhibitions currently on view in the museum’s other galleries, including the smaller “MCA DNA” shows dedicated to Gordon Matta-Clark and Dieter Roth, both of whose works from the 1970s are indebted to ideas which had started to percolate the decade before.The introduction to Minimalism outlined in The Language of Less provides a particularly helpful background for the exhibit dedicated to Canada’s Iain Baxter& (b. Iain Baxter, United Kingdom, 1936), whose often humorous objects and installations are clearly rooted in the movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Indeed, many of his works poke fun at the production of his contemporaries or recent predecessors, and so make little sense without a background in other artists of that period.

IT (collaborative name of Baxter, Elaine Hieber, and John Friel), Extended Noland, 1966 [velvet ribbon on fabric]
IT, Pneumatic Judd, 1965 [inflated vinyl]
Iain Baxter&, Television Works, 1999–2006 [Acrylic paint on reclaimed televisions; reclaimed pedestals and reclaimed metal wall brackets]
Baxter&’s oeuvre likewise suggests comparisons with the conceptual production of his compatriot, Ron Terada, whose show Being There is also up until January 15. The integrated nature of the MCA’s exhibitions creates an unusual and somewhat meandering narrative of the last 50 years that nonetheless reaffirms the importance of Minimalism, Conceptualism, and their descendants in North America and Europe. The Language of Less is on view through April 15, 2012 (Then) and March 15, 2012 (Now).

Go to http://mcachicago.org/exhibitions/now for a list of the MCA’s current exhibitions and links to their descriptions.

The science of art in “Exposure,” “Talo/House,” and “Lunar” at the Art Institute of Chicago

Lunar (2011) by Spencer Finch on the Bluhm Family Terrace at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Despite ample historical evidence to the contrary, the cliché that art and science necessarily represent contradictory or even opposite approaches to the world continues to thrive. The survival of this fallacious perception is most puzzling because contemporary art, more than any previous moment or movement, persistently reveals a close, if complex, relationship between the two broad disciplines. Indeed, one of the significant shifts between modern and contemporary art has been the increased tendency for artists to integrate the methods of science—such as research, interviews, and experiment—into their productions, albeit with a continued preoccupation with the experiential. This change is in part due to the ever-increasing availability and use of intrinsically documentary media, such as photography and film, as well as a social shift towards personal documentation and data-gathering tied to social media networks, concern over governmental surveillance, and portable devices that offer a variety of ways to collect and track personal information. The extent of this shift is exemplified in three current contemporary art exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago: Exposure, Talo/House, and Lunar.

Exposure: Matt Keegan, Katie Paterson, and Heather Rasmussen (on view through March 4, 2012) is the fourth installment of a series of exhibitions hosted by the AIC’s Department of Photography. Although problematically structured around the idea of exploring “diverse approaches to photography,” each featured photographer successfully delivers a coherent and intriguing body of work that raises an array of questions.[i] Given the nature of photography, it is not surprising that many of these issues revolve around concepts of documentation. For instance, although Heather Rasmussen initially seems to present Minimalist images of randomly distributed blocks of color, her series of photographs in fact records model reconstructions of catastrophic freight accidents, which she hand-makes out of cardstock and arranges to resemble found journalistic images from the web. What at first engages the viewer through abstract design slowly reveals itself to be a complex reference to the impact of modern standardization practices in shipping on industry and economics, of which large-scale and far-reaching disasters are a significant unintended consequence. Meanwhile, on two other sides of the room, Matt Keegan’s multi-part installation utilizes several forms of reference, documentation, and presentation—such as artist’s books presenting historical photographs of New York with brief texts related to Chicago’s contemporaneous industrial and social development—to evoke relationships between the two cities. Keegan’s strategic use of juxtaposition directs the viewer without dictating any conclusions, and thereby encourages both intuitive and logical engagement. Clearly, both Keegan and Rasmussen freely borrow from or make reference to strategies of production and evidence-gathering derived from scientific fields. However, neither do so as concisely as Katie Paterson.

In capturing mute expansions of nothingness, Paterson’s slides and photographs of black, empty space are reminiscent of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s visions of the sea and theater, while her meticulous labeling and concern with the mundane suggest the rigorous documentation strategies of performance and conceptual artists like Tehching Hsieh. Yet the interest of her work, History of Darkness (ongoing), does not lie in its relationship to its artistic predecessors, but rather in her adoption of scientific documentation and subsequent disruption of the intended consequences of such documentation. Taken in Hawaii with the aid of “one of the most powerful telescopes in the world,” the images capture points in space that are completely devoid of “celestial illumination.”[ii] Although essentially identical in appearance, they each represent different locations in both space and time, and are labeled according to their distance from earth in light years. In highlighting the negative space of outer space, Paterson draws attention to areas that not only typically go undocumented, but which, as photographs, represent an apparent paradox. By recording literal nothingness, these photographs become information about a lack of information, reversing the very purpose of such documentation and the expensive tools used to produce it. As an additional touch, Paterson continues the light humor of her project and its preoccupation with the untenable by numbering her prints as editions of infinity, a move which similarly makes the numbering of editions meaningless (in the conventional sense of establishing value based on scarcity) while neatly tying back to the underlying concept of the series.

Visitors exiting Exposure can step directly across a narrow hallway to enter the exhibition space of Talo/House (2002; on view until November 27, 2011), a three-channel, semi-immersive video installation by Finnish artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila. As the portrayal of a woman whose concept of time and space is collapsing due to her perceptual inability to filter, place, and logically organize sounds, House represents an updated, more sympathetic, continuation of Surrealism. Like the early 20th century movement, Ahtila is concerned here with the portrayal and experience of people diagnosed with psychotic disorders, and similarly attempts to recreate the sensations associated with these alternative states for her audience. Also like the primarily male members of the earlier group, she has chosen to relate this experience through the eyes of a woman. However, far from the mental freedom Surrealists associated with such conditions, Ahtila portrays her subject as increasingly isolated. Over the course of the film, the character tries to block-out the outside world from her home and head as a means of gaining some sense of quiet sanity.

More important for the topic at hand is the way in which the artist gathered her material. While the Surrealists were intrigued with the ideas of Freud and tended to form romantic relationships with women who operated as their muses (some of whom later spent time in mental institutions), Ahtila composed her story based on research and interviews. Although more clinical than her predecessors, Ahtila’s method and subsequent product is perhaps more sympathetic and grounded in reality, resulting in work that seems to give her subjects a voice beyond that of mere muses.

Viewers who also had the opportunity to see the 2008 exhibition, Arctic Hysteria: New Art from Finland, at PS1 in New York will be reminded of the contemporaneous videos by Ahtila’s compatriot, Veli Granö, whose work in that show consisted of the recreation of scenes or moments described as real by his subjects, but are more likely understood as signs of mental illness or delusion by the general public. Perhaps to an even greater degree than House, Granö’s productions suggest sympathy with his socially alienated subjects by withholding critical comment and allowing them a neutral space in which to relate their singular visions of the world. Ironically, the neutrality also suggests a similar level of clinical detachment, suggesting—as a scientist would—that it is only through such disinterestedness that the subjects’ experience may be fairly expressed and understood.

Finally, the multi-media, sculptural installation, Lunar (2011), by Spencer Finch represents yet another attempt to merge aspects of science with art. However, in this case the final product tends to both mine and mimic technology and design rooted in the forward-thinking sciences of the 20th century. As a kind of earth-bound lunar module, the sculpture utilizes solar-power to reproduce the moon’s luminosity, which the artist has measured using a colorimeter. At night, the collected energy shines as light from a large buckyball, a form that automatically references environmental experiments in geodesic domes, as well as the shape’s visionary namesake: Buckminster Fuller. Although visually engaging, Lunar is ultimately less rigorous and satisfying than works like House or History of Darkness, because its engagement with science is more cosmetic than conceptual and its apparent goals—to create a different way of depicting moonlight and suggest a fanciful narrative of a space module landing on the museum—is more novel than probing. Nonetheless, the very idea that simple references to the “hard” sciences can spark the imagination of viewers and therefore enhance an artist’s work is itself an indication that scientific thinking and its markers are not only acceptable within contemporary art, but are actively sought by current artists.

Lunar will remain on the Bluhm Family Terrace until April 8, 2012.

Additional readings and useful links:
Exposure: Matt Keegan, Katie Paterson, and Heather Rasmussen
http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/exposure4

Katie Paterson
http://www.katiepaterson.org/

Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Talo/House
http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/EijaLiisaAhtila

Veli Granö
http://www.veligrano.info/

Arctic Hysteria
Exhibition website: http://www.momaps1.org/exhibitions/view/164

Catalogue: Framework: The Finnish Art Review (Artic Hysteria Special Issue), No. 9 (June 2008) [ISSN 1459-6288]

Lunar by Spencer Finch
http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/lunar

______________________________________

[i] http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/exposure4

[ii] Exhibition wall text.