Robert Morris and Angst

Both as an artist and as a theorist, Robert Morris (b. 1931) has challenged prevailing ideas about art and culture. He is best known as the father of Minimal Art. His contributions to virtually every postwar movement since Abstract Expressionism are significant. However, he has remained independent of any particular affiliation. Morris has produced art ranging from choreographed dances, performances, audio and video recordings (depicting the processes of his artmaking itself), to sculptures, installations, paintings, prints, and site-specific outdoor projects in Europe and America, while regularly adding to a body of influential critical writings. His enduring interest in the process of artmaking, materiality, and perception has channeled his investigations into a multiplicity of media types and art forms, which is indeed remarkable. Robert Morris and Angst examines the thematic and artistic consistency found throughout Morris's art despite its visual diversity. Within the context of a representative number of his works, Nena Tsouti-Schillinger, breaking new ground, investigates Morris's "angst" and the underlying related idea of "dualism." Throughout Morris's twists and turns, his works share a common core; he keeps transforming his lifelong subject—physical and mental conflict—with a remarkable physical immediacy. Whether revered or reviled, idolized or misunderstood, Morris has transformed the face of modern art and the philosophy behind it. 47 color illustrations, 53 black-and-white illustrations, index, bibliography.

Author Biography: Nena Tsouti-Schillinger is an art historian specializing in contemporary art. She is curating a major retrospective of works by Robert Morris to be held in Athens, Greece.