Agnes Denes
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Agnes Denes (Dénes Ágnes; born 1931 in
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
) is a Hungarian-born American conceptual artist based in New York. She is known for works in a wide range of media—from poetry and philosophical writings to extremely detailed drawings, sculptures, and iconic land art works, such as '' Wheatfield — A Confrontation'' (1982), a two-acre field of wheat in downtown Manhattan, commissioned by the Public Art Fund, and ''Tree Mountain—A Living Time Capsule'' (1992–96) in , Finland. Her work ''Rice/Tree/Burial with Time Capsule'' (1968–79) is recognized as one of the earliest examples of ecological art. She lives and works in New York City.


Early life and career

Born in
Budapest, Hungary Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
in 1931, her family survived
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Nazi occupation, and moved to
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
on their way to the United States. As a teenager, she created her first environmental/philosophical work, ''Bird Project,'' in Sweden, comparing migrating bird colonies to people — the migrants of the world. She studied painting at the
New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers ...
and
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in New York.Agnes Denes: The Artist as Universalist, essay by Peter Selz, Professor Emeritus University California Berkeley in Agnes Denes, Edited by Jill Hartz, 1992 She began her artistic career as a poet. Her poetic practice eventually became works of a unique intellectual content and form she later called ''Visual Philosophy.''"Agnes Denes's Visual Philosophy", essay by Klaus Ottmann, Chief Curator of The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, in ''Agnes Denes: Absolutes and Intermediates'', edited by Emma Enderby, The Shed, 2019 She has said that the repeated changes in language led her to focus on the visual arts. She soon abandoned painting, due to the constraints of the canvas, and focused broadly on ideas she could explore in other mediums, saying, "I found its vocabulary limiting." In the early 1970s, she joined the A.I.R. Gallery as a founding member. She has since participated in more than 600 exhibitions at galleries and museums throughout the world, and has written six books. She has one son, Robert T. Frankel and twin grandchildren, Ian and Alessa Frankel. Her image is included in the iconic 1972 poster '' Some Living American Women Artists'' by Mary Beth Edelson.


Selected works


Ecological

;''Rice/Tree/Burial'' 1968, Eco-Logic,
Sullivan County, New York Sullivan County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,624. The county seat is Monticello. The county's name honors Major General John Sullivan, who was labeled at the time as a hero in th ...
; re-created 1977 at Artpark As a pioneer of
Land Art Land art, variously known as Earth art, environmental art, and Earthworks, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, largely associated with Great Britain and the United StatesArt in the modern era: A guide to styles, schools, & mo ...
, Agnes Denes created ''Rice/Tree/Burial'' in 1968 in
Sullivan County, New York Sullivan County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,624. The county seat is Monticello. The county's name honors Major General John Sullivan, who was labeled at the time as a hero in th ...
. Acknowledged as the first site-specific performance piece with ecological concerns, it was enacted ten years later on an expanded scale at Artpark in Lewiston, New York. This performance piece involved planting rice seeds in a field in upstate New York, chaining surrounding trees and burying a time capsule filled with copies of her haiku. "It was about communication with the earth," Denes said, "and communicating with the future.""


Agnes Denes at Artpark, 1977-1979

During her time at Artpark, Denes recreated her ''Rice/Tree/Burial'' piece from 1968. In 1977, she planted a half acre (0.2 ha) of rice 150 feet (45 m) above the spot where
Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...
had originally formed. The land itself that she worked on was known to have been an industrial dumping ground, which affected the quality of the rice. In 1978, she continued the project by chaining together trees in the forest in the park to symbolize interference with growth.Artpark. ''TIME CAPSULE TO BE BURIED AT ARTPARK.'' Lewiston, New York: Artpark, 16 Aug. 1979. Print On August 20, 1979, Denes buried a
time capsule A time capsule is a historic treasure trove, cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy ...
at 47° 10′ longitude, 79° 2′ 32″ latitude set to be opened in the twenty-third century. The capsule includes microfilmed responses of university students to questions about the nature of humanity. Along with the rice, time capsule, and ceremonial chaining of trees in the park, Denes shot photographs of Niagara Falls for this iteration of ''Rice/Tree/Burial'' to "add natural force as the fourth element and fuse the other three". ;''Wheatfield — A Confrontation'' 1982
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
,
Battery Park The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan#Manhattan Island, Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor. The park is bounded by Battery Place on the north, with Bowling ...
City
landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...
After months of preparations, in May 1982, a two-acre (0.8 ha) wheat field was planted on a landfill in lower Manhattan, two blocks from Wall Street and the World Trade Center, facing the
Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
, sponsored by the Public Art Fund. To create the work, titled '' Wheatfield — A Confrontation'', 200 truckloads of dirt were brought in and 285 furrows were dug by hand and cleared of rocks and garbage. The seeds were sown by hand and the furrows covered with soil. The field was maintained for four months, cleared of wheat smut, weeded, fertilized, and sprayed against mildew fungus, and an irrigation system was set up. The crop was harvested on August 16 and yielded over 1,000 pounds (455 kg) of healthy, golden wheat. ;''Tree Mountain-a living time capsule'' 1996,
Ylöjärvi Ylöjärvi () is a town in Finland, located in the Pirkanmaa region. It lies to the west of the regional capital, Tampere. The population of Ylöjärvi is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the m ...
,
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
A monumental earthwork reclamation project and the first human-made virgin forest, situated in Ylöjärvi, Western Finland. The site was dedicated by the President of Finland upon its completion in 1996 and is legally protected for the next four hundred years. ;''A Forest for Australia''
reforestation Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...
of Red Gum, She Oak, and Paperbark trees in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
1998 6000 trees of an endangered species with varying heights at maturity were planted into five spirals by the artist, creating a step pyramid for each spiral when the trees are fullgrown. The trees help alleviate serious land erosion and
desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...
threatening Australia. ; Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie Master Plan, 2000 A 25-year master plan to unite a 100 kilometer-long string of forts dating from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Incorporating water and flood management, urban planning, historical preservation, landscaping, and tourism into a single plan. ;''North Waterfront Park Masterplan'', Berkeley, California, 1988-91. Site plan and art concept. A conceptual master plan was developed for the conversion of a 97-acre municipal landfill, surrounded by water on three sides in the
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...
, into an oasis for people and nature. ;''The Living Pyramid'', Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY, 2015. One in a series of large earth sculptures, ''The Living Pyramid'', was the first land art work by the artist in New York City in over 3 decades. Commission by the Socrates Sculpture Park, it was on view from May through October 2015, and recreated in 2017 for documenta 14 in Kassel, Germany. ;''The Living Pyramid'', Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Istanbul, Turkey, 2022. An Agnes Denes work titled Living Pyramid is continuing its presence on the grounds of Istanbul's Sakıp Sabancı private museum on Sabancı University. The pyramid has different plants from the Istanbul flora placed on its sides depending on the need for shade or sun.


Visual philosophy

Beginning in 1968, she began an intensive exploration of philosophy through art. The result was, according to Jill Hartz of Cornell University, "an amazing body of work, distinguished by its intellectual rigor, aesthetic beauty, conceptual analysis, and environmental concern." * ''Paradox and Essence (Philosophical Drawings)'', 1976, Published by Tau/ma Press, Rome, Italy, in English and Italian. Edition of 200; 60 pages * ''Sculptures of the Mind'', 1976, Published by the University of Akron Press, Akron, Ohio. Edition of 1,000, 250 signed and numbered; 50 pages * ''Isometric Systems in Isotropic Space: Map Projections (from the Study of Distortions Series, 1973-1979)'', 1979. Published by Visual Studies Workshop Press, Rochester, New York. Edition of 200 hardback copies in silver foil, signed and numbered by the artist; edition of 600 in paperback; 100 pages, color and black and white throughout, 29 original drawings specially created for the book, 22 transparent pages. *''Original drawings for Isometric Systems, from the Museum of Modern Art Collection'' * ''Early Philosophical Drawings, Monoprints, and Sculpture'' 1970-1973


Sculpture

* Sculptures of the Mind 1968-2012


Writing

See three titles under Visual Philosophy, above. * ''Book of Dust: The Beginning and the End of Time and Thereafter'', 1989 Visual Studies Workshop Press, Rochester, New York. Edition of 1,100 of which 200 are signed with an original artwork. Insert ("The Debate - 1 Million B.C. - 1 Million A.D.); 200 pages, 16 full-page duotones * ''The Human Argument'', 2008 Spring Publications, Putnam, Connecticut. * ''Poetry Walk—Reflections: Pools of Thought'', 2000 Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Art Museum.


Catalogues

* ''Agnes Denes: Perspectives'', Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1974 * ''Agnes Denes: Sculptures of the Mind / Philosophical Drawings'' by Amerika Haus Berlin, 1978 * ''Agnes Denes 1968 -1980'', Gary Garrels curator, Hayden Gallery, MIT, Boston, 1980 * ''Agnes Denes: Concept into Form, Works : 1970-1990'', Arts Club of Chicago, 1990 * ''Agnes Denes'' by Jill Hartz, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, 1992 * ''The Visionary Art of Agnes Denes'': An Exhibition of 85 Works, Gibson Gallery, 1996 * ''Project for Public Spaces, a Retrospective'', Samek Art Gallery, Bucknell University, Lewisburg PA; 2003 *''Agnes Denes: Work 1969 - 2013'', curated and edited by Florence Derieux, FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, Firstsite Colchester, Mousse Publishing, 2013-2016 *''Agnes Denes: Absolutes and Intermediates'', edited by Emma Enderby, The Shed, 2019


Public collections

Denes has more than ten works in the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
's collection. In the
Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the third-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5.36 million v ...
, the artist has five pieces in the permanent collection. At the
Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...
, Denes has three pieces in the permanent collection. Beyond that, the artist has work in forty-three additional museum permanent collections.


Critical response


Selected solo exhibitions

* 2020: "Agnes Denes: Photos of the Mind, 1969–2002," Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, ADAA Member Viewing Rooms * 2019: "Agnes Denes: Absolutes and Intermediates," The Shed, New York * 2018: "Agnes Denes: Works 1969 - 2018," acb Gallery, Budapest, Hungary * 2017: "Agnes Denes: Truth Approximations," Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York * 2015: "In the Realm of Pyramids: The Visual Philosophy of Agnes Denes," Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York * 2013: "Agnes Denes: Work: 1967 – 2013," Firstite, Essex, United Kingdom (catalog) * 2012: "Agnes Denes: Body Prints, Philosophical Drawings, and Map Projections 1969-1978," Santa Monica Museum of Art, CA (catalog) "Agnes Denes, Sculptures of the Mind: 1968 to Now," Leslie Tonkonow Gallery, New York * 2010: "Agnes Denes: Body Prints and Other Early Prints on Paper", Leslie Tonkonow Gallery, New York * 2009: "Philosophy in the Land II", Leslie Tonkonow Gallery, New York * 2008: "Agnes Denes: Art for the Third Millennium-Creating a New World View", Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary * 2007: "Uprooted & Deified – The Golden Tree", BravinLee Programs, New York * 2005: "Agnes Denes: Projects for Public Places-A Retrospective", Ewing Gallery, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn. * 2004: "Agnes Denes: Projects for Public Places-A Retrospective", Chelsea Museum, New York * 2003: "Agnes Denes: Projects for Public Places-A Retrospective", organized by Samek Gallery, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa. (catalog). Travel: Herron Gallery, Herron School of Art, Indiana University, Indianapolis; Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University, Milkwaukee, Wisc.; Naples Museum of Art, Naples, Florida. * 1998: "Agnes Denes-Fragmentation", Gallerie Il Bulino, Rome, Italy * 1997: "Anima/Persona-From the Rice/Tree/Burial Project", Joyce Goldstein Gallery, New York "The Pyramid Suite and Project Drawings", View Gallery, New York * 1996: "The Visionary Art of Agnes Denes", Gibson Gallery, SUNY at Potsdam, New York * 1995: "Philosophy in the Land", Joyce Goldstein Gallery, New York * 1994: "Drawings of Agnes Denes 1969-1994", Wynn Kramarsky, New York * 1992: "Agnes Denes: A Retrospective", Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. (book and travel) * 1990: "Agnes Denes - Concept into Form, Works 1970-1990", Arts Club of Chicago, Ill. (catalog) "Agnes Denes - El Concepto Hecho Forma, Obras, 1970-1990", Anselmo Alvarez Galeria de Arte, Madrid, Spain (catalog) * 1986: Ricardo Barreto Arte Contemporaneo, Guadalajara, Mexico * 1985: University of Hawaii Art Gallery, Honolulu, Hawaii Northern Illinois University Art Gallery, Chicago, Ill. * 1982: "Meister der Zeichnung" (Master of Drawing) Invitational, Kunsthalle, Nürnberg, W. Germany (catalog) * 1981: "Print Retrospective", Elise Meyer, Inc., New York * 1980: "Agnes Denes 1968-1980", Hayden Gallery, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. (catalog) "Anima/Persona - The Seed", Elise Meyer, Inc., New York "Agnes Denes", Galleriet, Lund, Sweden Galerie Aronowitsch, Stockholm, Sweden * 1979: "Agnes Denes Work: 1968-1978", Institute of Contemporary Art, London, England Studio d'Arte Cannaviello, Milan, Italy * 1978: "Agnes Denes - Philosophical Drawings", Amerika Haus, W. Berlin, W. Germany (catalog) "Agnes Denes: Work 1968-78", Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, England (catalog) "Sculptures of the Mind," Centre Culturel Americain, Paris, France * 1977: Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Penn. "Animi Pathema - The Emotional Animal", 112 Greene Street Gallery, New York * 1976: "Agnes Denes", Douglass College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N. J. "Agnes Denes", Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, Calif. "Sculptures of the Mind", University of Akron, Ohio (catalog) * 1975: Stefanotty Gallery, New York * 1974: "Agnes Denes: Perspectives", Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (catalog) Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio * 1972: A.I.R. Gallery, New York * 1968: Ruth White Gallery, New York * 1967: New Masters Gallery, New York * 1965: Lewisohn Hall, Columbia University, New York


Awards

* Four fellowships from the
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
* Four grants from the New York State Council on the Arts * CAPS grant (1972) * National Endowment Fellowships (1974 and 1975) * The DAAD Fellowship, Berlin (1978) * American Academy of Arts and Letters Purchase Award (1985) * Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
(1990) * Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome (1998) * Jill Watson Award for Transdisciplinary Achievement in the Arts from Carnegie Mellon University (1999) * Anonymous Was a Woman Award (2007) * Ambassador's Award for Cultural Diplomacy (2008) from the American Embassy in Hungary * Art Innovation Impact Award, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC.(2020)


References


External links

* * Interview of Denes, images of Wheatfield *
Agnes Denes: Sculptures of the Mind: 1968 to Now, Exhibition Site
at Leslie Tonkonow Gallery Nov 15, 2012 - Jan 19, 2013
Agnes Denes: Absolutes and Intermediates
retrospective exhibition at The Shed, October 9, 2019 - March 22, 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Denes, Agnes Land artists Columbia University School of the Arts alumni American conceptual artists American women conceptual artists Living people 1931 births Hungarian emigrants to the United States The New School alumni 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women artists