Film and video works from John Baldessari, Vito Acconci, and William Wegman

In an ironic intersection of two systems — arcane theoretical discourse and popular music — Baldessari sings a tract by Minimalist artist Sol LeWitt. Introducing this performance by noting that "these sentences have been hidden too long in exhibition catalogues," Baldessari sings Lewitt's forty-five-point tract on Conceptual Art to the tunes of The Star-Spangled Banner and Heaven, among other songs. Baldessari's witty "art aria" functions as a meta-conceptual exercise.  Electronic Art Intermix

For Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films, the Modern’s Assistant Curator of Education Jesse Morgan Barnett presents selected film and video works from artists John Baldessari, Vito Acconci, and William Wegman to consider the dynamics of humor, transgression, and endearment in the early prominence of video art. This presentation is conjunction with Disappearing — California, c. 1970: Bas Jan Ader, Chris Burden, Jack Goldstein, providing further context for the exhibition.

_____________________________________________

Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films this summer focuses on filmmakers and films that have some direct or indirect relationship with the issues and circumstances of time, philosophy, and/or form found in Disappearing—California, c. 1970: Bas Jan Ader, Chris Burden, Jack Goldstein. To create a full experience, these presentations include a brief introduction and opportunity for discussion following the films when time allows. As a special addition, this summer some of the films will be selected and introduced by guest presenters.

This program begins at 7 pm. Seating is available in the Modern’s auditorium at 6:30 pm. The museum’s galleries are open until 7 pm on Tuesdays during the run of Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films. This program is free and open to the public. Up to two free tickets can be obtained at the admission desk beginning at 5 pm the day of the screening.

Image credit: John Baldessari, Still from Baldessari Sings LeWitt, 1972. Black-and-white video, sound; 12 minutes, 38 seconds