Allen Ruppersberg, Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles

Allen Ruppersberg

Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles

30 March – 27 April 1996

Margo Leavin Gallery presents an exhibition of work by Allen Ruppersberg. The exhibition includes recent sculptures and drawings as well as two large-scale installations. In addition, there is a selected of earlier drawings and collages.

Throughout his career, Allen Ruppersberg has chosen language and the act of reading and looking as the focus of his art. The scope of his interest has ranged from High literature and its popular opposite to newspaper articles, movie posters and the world of advertising. The works presented in this exhibition evolved from his continued study of reading: the way society responds to the presentation of news and books, what constitutes a best seller, how society assigns a value to writing and the continuing need to reread and reinterpret history.

The subject of Allen Ruppersberg’s two large-scale installations in this exhibition is literature and its history. The first piece, Good Dreams, Bad Dreams, What was Sub-Literature?, addresses the mythology of the lost languages of both pulp literature, and its visual equivalent, the handlettered sign. This installation is a collection of signs hand-painted by local sign-makers, who have been given only the title of a book and the author’s name with which to make a sign. A fictional, visual lecture on the art of “dead signs” accompanies the hand-painted signs. The second installation is Low to High, which is an arrangement of books upon a hand-built staircase. Allen Ruppersberg has republished a set of books that were the five most popular novels read during 1920-40 in Britain, The Netherlands, Germany and Poland. Those four countries were involved in the 1944 Battle of Arnhem, which was one of the bloodiest conflicts of World War II. In republishing exact replicas of books dating from 1920-1940, Allen Ruppersberg’s installation acts not only as a historical marker, but also as a possible glimpse into the psyche of the soldiers and their countrymen before the onslaught of World War II.

In addition, this exhibition includes two recent bodies of work, Study for Bookmarks, and Study for Gravemarkers. Study for Bookmarks is a series of drawings of newspaper obituaries of men who died from complications of the AIDS virus. Study for Gravemarkers consists of bronze casts of pieces of rope tied into various nautical knots. These knots are intended to function as memorials and are installed randomly on the floor near the Bookmark drawings. Themes of memory and history connect these two seemingly disparate bodies of work.

This exhibition marks Allen Ruppersberg’s first one-person exhibition at Margo Leavin Gallery. The work of Allen Ruppersberg has been the subject of a recent exhibition at the Stichting De Appel in Amsterdam, and included in the “Cocido y Crudo” at Centre de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain and Dialogues of Peace at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. In Los Angeles, Allen Ruppersberg’s works were recently exhibited in Reconsidering the Object of Art: 1965 – 1975 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Important upcoming exhibition include one-person exhibition at Magasin in Grenoble, France and Portikus in Frankfurt, Germany as well as the important 1997 sited sculpture show in Münster, Germany.

MARGO LEAVIN GALLERY

812 North Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Hanne Darboven at Dia Center for the Arts, New York

Hanne Darboven: Kulturgeschichte 1880-1983
Dia Center for the Arts, New York

Hanne Darboven's monumental work entitled Kulturgeschichte 1880-1983 (Cultural History 1880-1983), 1980-1983, will open to the public at Dia Center for the Arts, 548 West 22nd Street, New York, on March 28, 1996.

Kulturgeschichte 1880-1983 consists of 1,590 wall-mounted panels of uniform size and format and nineteen objects. It traces one hundred years of history via a miscellany of images and texts that range from postcards to art reproductions, portraits of film stars, and the covers of weekly magazines. Many bear handwritten notes and quotations.

Over the past thirty years, this German artist has created a vast body of work based on time as registered by history and by memory alike. Beginning with the date, whose numbers she manipulates into a temporal and chronological system, Hanne Darboven has in Kulturgeschichte 1880-1983 constructed an encompassing, encyclopedic archive that fuses public history and collective memory with personal experience.

Hanne Darboven was born in 1941 in Munich, Germany. In 1965 she graduated from the Hochschule für Bildende Kunst in Hamburg, where she had studied painting. Between 1966 and 1968, Darboven lived in New York City where she created her first mature works, which placed her at the center of Conceptual art practice. Since 1967 she has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions, including Reconsidering the Object of Art: 1965-1975, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 1995-96. In New York City she has shown with Leo Castelli Gallery since 1973. She lives and works in Hamburg, Germany.

Dia Center for the Arts

548 West 22nd Street, New York
www.diacenter.org

Howard Hodgkin: Paintings 1975-1995 at Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Howard Hodgkin: Paintings 1975–1995 
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 
March 31 - July 14, 1996 

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will exhibit Howard Hodgkin: Paintings 1975-1995 at the Modern's main location in Fort Worth's Cultural District. This special exhibition, which premiered at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York last November where it was seen by over 144,000 visitors, surveys the achievement over the past 20 years of one of the most important British artists of the postwar era. Consisting of 46 oil paintings borrowed from private and public collections in the United States, Europe and Mexico, this exhibition constitutes the first major museum exhibition of Howard Hodgkin's work in the United States in ten years. The exhibition begins with works from 1975, the year Howard Hodgkin achieved a mature and independent style, and concludes with works recently completed in 1995, including four paintings that have never before been exhibited.

Howard Hodgkin: Paintings 1975-1995 was organized over the course of four years by the Modern Art Museum's Director, Marla Price, in collaboration with the Modern's Chief Curator, Michael Auping. This exhibition focuses on the period of Howard Hodgkin's greatest achievement and places particular emphasis on his paintings from 1985 to 1995.

Howard Hodgkin was born in London, England in 1932. He studied at the Camberwell School of Art, London and the Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, between 1949 and 1954. Even though Hodgkin's early work is associated with the British pop art movement and the School of London, he has always been a strongly independent artist. Howard Hodgkin has stated, "I am a representational painter, but not a painter of appearances. I paint representational appearances of emotional situations." Hodgkin's paintings depict memories of places and encounters; trips to Italy, India or Morocco, interiors of hotels and restaurants, visits with friends and love affairs. The feelings Hodgkin experiences are captured in intense colors; remembered people and objects are transformed into expressive splotches, swirls and blobs of paint, the elements that constitute his own visual vocabulary.

Although Howard Hodgkin's paintings appear spontaneous they are often worked on over extended periods of time. A painting begins when the artist first recalls a particular moment and ends when the subject comes back. Hodgkin describes the artistic process: "I start out with the subject and naturally I have to remember first of all what it looked like, but it would also perhaps contain a great deal of feeling and sentiment. All of that has got to be somehow transmuted, transformed or made into a physical object and when that happens, when that's finally been done, when the last physical marks have been put on and the subject comes back——then the picture's finished and there is no question of doing anything more to it."

The final venue of this exhibition is the Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen in Düsseldorf, Germany (August 17 - October 13, 1996).

A major book documents the exhibition and provides a broad overview of Howard Hodgkin's achievement. Essays by Michael Auping, John Elderfield and noted author Susan Sontag examine various aspects of Hodgkin's work and his importance in postwar twentieth-century art. A catalogue raisonné of all of Hodgkin's oil paintings complements the essays, providing the first scholarly history of his work, beginning with his first paintings in 1948-1949. The catalogue contains eighty color illustrations, an extensive bibliography and an exhibition checklist.

MODERN ART MUSEUM OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS
www.mamfw.org

Updated 23.06.2019

Polaroid PDC-2000 Digital Camera

Polaroid PDC-2000 Digital Camera

Polaroid Corporation introduced its first digital camera: the PDC-2000. The PDC-2000 is the only digital camera to combine professional-quality images with the ease-of-use features of a fully automatic camera, at a much lower price than other high-end digital cameras.

Featuring a "megapixel" sensor based on Polaroid's imaging science technology, the sleek-designed PDC-2000 captures sharp, vibrant, 24-bit color digital images that can be easily transferred to any computer or printed at a resolution level as high as 1600 x 1200 pixels.

"The PDC-2000 combines the ease-of-use features of a fully automatic camera with the look, feel and quality of a single-lens-reflex camera," said Henry Ancona, Polaroid executive vice president. "The PDC-2000 captures professional-quality images for professionals in business and government who cannot afford to sacrifice image quality when they convert to digital photography. Like all Polaroid electronic imaging products, the PDC-2000 gives customers a higher quality imaging tool at a lower cost than the competition."

Unlike other digital cameras, PDC-2000 images are not compressed, so there is no loss of image data or visual quality. With one million pixels of image data per shot, PDC-2000 images look great even when enlarged to 8 x 10.

With such superior image quality, PDC-2000 images can be used in many business, commercial and professional applications, including desktop publishing, graphics, print production, advertising, government, law enforcement, image archiving, security and identification, entertainment, multimedia programs, World Wide Web development and many more.

In features and operation, the PDC-2000 is very similar to an easy-to-use, compact 35mm point-and-shoot, including automatic exposure control, auto-focus and automatic flash up to 15 feet. Users can also manually control the flash and backlight conditions and set the cameras for shots in different types of lighting, such as incandescent or fluorescent.

The PDC-2000 comes in three different models offering customers a choice of storage options to meet their particular imaging needs. Customers can select a model that stores either 40 images, 60 images, or a 'direct connect' version that relies on a computer for storing images. Pictures are captured at the original one million pixel resolution and can be transferred to any computer system at 1600 x 1200 super high resolution or 800 x 600 high resolution.

Each image is automatically recorded with the date and time and can be labeled with letters or numbers for easy identification when transferred to any Macintosh or Windows compatible computer. Pictures can be deleted one-at-a-time or all at once and retaken on-the-spot.

Lightweight and portable, the PDC-2000 has an optical viewfinder and comes with a 38mm equivalent lens that focuses from 10 inches to infinity. An optional 60mm equivalent lens that focuses from 24 inches to infinity is also available.

An LCD status panel on the top of the cameras provides feedback on all camera functions and conditions, such as battery power, number of images taken, time and date, and exposure settings.

All PDC-2000 models use a SCSI-2 interface to ensure fast image transfer in a matter of seconds from camera to computer. An optional PCMCIA to SCSI adapter is available for connection to portable PCs through a PCMCIA slot.

Users can preview, transfer and save images using Polaroid PDC-2000 Direct software that comes with the camera. Accessories include a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop for Windows and Macintosh and a TWAIN driver for Windows applications. The PDC-2000 comes with four rechargeable AA NiCad batteries, a lens cap and neck and hand straps for easy carrying and shooting.

The charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor used in the PDC-2000 was designed by Polaroid and is manufactured by IBM's Microelectronics Division in Vermont. The cameras are assembled and manufactured by Polaroid in the United States.

The 40 megabyte PDC-2000 camera system has a U.S. suggested list price of $3,695 while the 60 megabyte version is $4,995 and the direct connect model is $2,995. International prices vary and are available by calling a Polaroid dealer in each respective region. Worldwide shipments are scheduled to begin within the next 90 days.

The cameras come with a 12-month warranty and Polaroid Total Satisfaction Guarantee, allowing any product to be returned within 30 days. Part of an exciting line-up of electronic imaging products from Polaroid, the PDC-2000 line will be available through authorized Polaroid resellers and other computer and photographic product dealer. 

Polaroid Corporation
www.polaroid.com

Pentax ZX-5 35mm SLR Camera

Pentax ZX-5 SLR Camera

Designed for ease-of-use, the Pentax ZX-5 SLR camera's simplified features let photographers concentrate on getting great pictures the first time they pick up the camera. Yet it has everything beginning and advanced photographers desire: multi-mode exposure, fast accurate autofocus, a built-in auto flash and a wide range of lenses and accessories. All beautifully packaged in a light-weight compact silver and black body reminiscent of those classic cameras of years gone by. So if you want a new breed of SLR camera, one that's picture perfect inside and out, there's only one choice--the ZX-5 from Pentax.

Research shows that millions of Pentax customers still own and use the sturdy and classic SLR cameras that enjoyed great popularity in the '50s and '60s. The new ZX-5 incorporates those most useful features and simple design in a handsome compact body. Like the famous cameras of years ago, the Pentax ZX-5 is designed with the most essential features. Therefore, mechanical SLR lovers as well as people new to photography can pick up the ZX-5 and begin to shoot with it immediately. Yet it eclipses those cameras with its advanced metering and autofocus systems.

The metering system of the ZX-5 features Pentax's well known six segment multi-pattern metering. This assures optimal results even under difficult lighting conditions. The spot metering allows the photographer to pin-point the metering at a single small area of the frame. Center-weighted metering is also provided for those photographers who prefer conventional metering systems.

It's easy to capture perfectly exposed photographs while shooting with the Pentax ZX-5. This is due to the fact that four exposure modes are available; programmed AE, aperture priority AE, shutter priority AE, and metered manual. The three auto-exposure modes are designed to simplify operation while the metered manual mode lets the shooter make all the choices to create the shot he is seeking. Together these choices provide the photographer with the opportunity to create a variety of visual effects.

The two control dials on the camera's top silver panel enable speedy and accurate setting of the metering mode and shutter speed. The obvious advantage of this design is the easy access it provides at the turn of a dial. To complement the dial control system, the Pentax ZX-5 is equipped with a multi-data viewfinder display and an easy to read LCD panel. The viewfinder display even comes with an illuminator whose illumination level is automatically adjusted according to the brightness of the subject.

The Pentax ZX-5 incorporates a high precision, high speed phase matching autofocus system which is extremely reliable even under poor lighting conditions. The predictive autofocus function, found in Pentax's professional SLRs, automatically activates when the camera detects the subject's motion. Then it is able to "predict" the subject's position at the exact moment of the shutter release and adjust the focus accordingly. It is even possible to take a few more pictures after the subject moves out of the autofocus frame. The ZX-5's autofocus system is enhanced by

SAFOX IV (Sensor Ability Fortifying Optical Compensation System). The system is new to the PENTAX SLR line and has a three-point autofocus module with wide-focus capability. This is due to a H-shaped layout of the three AF sensors that delivers pin-point focusing on a greater variety of subjects. The sensors are also sensitive to subjects with vertical or horizontal lines.

The Pentax ZX-5 incorporates a built-in "smart flash" which covers up to a 28mm angle of view. It also gives a warning when the camera detects low light and backlit situations. When the camera is set in programmed AE mode and the flash is in the pop-up position, the smart flash automatically provides supplementary illumination to the subject for perfect exposure.

The advanced TTL flash control system makes previously complicated flash techniques such as daylight sync and slow shutter sync simple and effortless. It is also equipped with a pre-flash function to reduce the "red-eye" effect in subjects eyes.

Many cameras today are responding to photographers' increasing interest in using a panorama mode. The Pentax ZX-5 offers this mode which is available at a simple twist of a lever. The viewfinder also has a long comfortable eye-point and diopter adjustment.

Pentax offers a full range of interchangeable lenses to satisfy very diverse needs--ranging from ultra-wide angle to super telephoto and even special effects such as fisheye, macro and soft focus. All lenses are treated with the acclaimed super multi-coating (SMC) for sharp, high contrast images with minimal aberrations. Many existing Pentax accessories can be used with a Pentax ZX-5 including the AF-500 FTZ and AF-330 FTZ dedicated flash units. The line-up is further expanded with the addition of new accessories which are exclusively designed for the ZX-5 including a AA battery pack for extended shooting sessions, a data back and extension cord hot-shoe adapter and off-camera adapter. 

Update: August 1996 - EISA Award

The Pentax ZX-5 has been selected as the "European Camera of the Year 1996-1997" by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA). The official presentation of the award will be held on September 18 at Photokina in Cologne, Germany. Having already won TIPA's "The Best SLR camera of the Year '96-'97," earlier in the year, the ZX-5 has won the two most prestigious awards presented to SLR cameras in Europe. 

In selecting the ZX-5, the jury commented that, "With the ZX-5, PENTAX has developed a new breed of autofocus SLR. Its inspired design utilizes the best details of a compact camera within an ultra-light body. The camera's logical and traditional control layout makes it a joy to use; its overall performance exceeds the needs of most photo hobbyists at a very reasonable price."

Pentax (US) / Asahi Optical Company, Ltd., Japan 

Gary Simmons at Metro Pictures, New York

Gary Simmons

Metro Pictures, New York

March 9 – April 13, 1996

Gary Simmons exhibits chalkboard wall drawings at Metro Pictures. Using his trademark erasure technique, Gary Simmons will execute three large-scale chalk drawings directly on the black, chalkboard-surfaced gallery walls.

A companion project to Gary Simmons' 1995 installation at the Lannan Foundation in Los Angeles, these works will expand on the artist's familiar vocabulary mined from cartoon imagery laden with racial stereotypes. Gary Simmons, who is himself an African-American, removes the central cartoon characters and focuses on details and architectural images from the same cartoons. By removing these figures, Simmons seeks to expand the work's meaning to larger, more open-ended concerns of class and social structure.

The installation combines the seductive beauty of Gary Simmons' previous chalk drawings with the power and scale of his well-known installations. During the course of the two-week drawing process Gary Simmons will first paint the gallery walls with a black, slate-like paint and then dust the walls with chalk applied by hand with the aid of an eraser. After projecting his computer-manipulated sketches directly on the walls and drawing them in white chalk, Simmons sets upon the drawings, again by hand, to smear and smudge them. The drawings become a manifestation of this arduous process and are infused with the intense physical presence of the artist.

The exhibition's two largest drawings depict familiar images of Americana: a garden gazebo (off-center and spinning out of control on a 53 foot wall), and a rollercoaster (twisting and stretched to 45 feet). Between the two, on the rear wall of the gallery, is an archetypal cartoon explosion. This cliché comic book image both comments on the fascination with violence in our culture and plays with the telling comic book notion that when things become too complicated they explode.

Gary Simmons has had one-person exhibitions at The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., the Lannan Foundation in Los Angeles, The Whitney Museum's Phillip Morris branch, White Columns in New York, and numerous galleries in the U.S. and Europe. His work was included in the 1993 Whitney Biennial, the Whitney's "Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art" and will be in "Defining the 90's: Consensus Making in New York, Los Angeles and Miami" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami and "Under Capricorn: Art in the Age of Globalization" at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in June. He is doing a special project for the opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in June of 1996. This is the artist's third exhibition with Metro Pictures.

Gary Simmons attended The School of Visual Arts in New York City and The California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California, as well as The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Gary Simmons, who was born, lives and works in New York City, was a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts, Interarts Grant in 1990.

METRO PICTURES GALLERY

150 Greene Street, New York, NY 10012

519 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011

www.metropictures.com