Dan Flavin’s ‘monument 1 for V. Tatlin’ at the Modern.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Museum Lighting
Whether their medium of choice is paint or sculpted material or photographic print, artists need light. Art appreciation is impossible in total darkness, and artists are frequently relentless in critiquing museums and galleries for lighting conditions that will best show off the work.
Dan Flavin’s particular genius was in converting the light itself into his medium. The New York-based artist came to his inspiration (we’re too high-minded to say the light went on in his head) in the early 1960s. Working exclusively with commercially available fluorescent tubes in various colors and shapes, Flavin designed a number of spaces ranging from boxes to entire rooms to be lit in a specific manner. In places like the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, the patterns of light and shadow within these spaces became as tangible as any sculpture.
Now, nine years after his premature death, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth looks back at his achievements with Dan Flavin: A Retrospective. In addition to 45 of his installations (though the artist preferred the term “proposals”), the museum is also carrying several of his works on paper, showing the evolutionary process of his unique and unorthodox art.
Dan Flavin: A Retrospective runs Feb 27-Jun 5 at Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St, FW. Admission is $4-6. Call 817-738-9215.
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