Machine in a Void: World War I & the Graphic Arts

Several years in the making, the Spencer-organized Machine in a Void will present nearly 150 works of graphic art made during the years of the First World War (1914-1918), with a post-script on the art of the decade following the war. By invoking the perspective of primarily European artists, the exhibition will bring attention to the substantial roles played by the graphic arts during WWI (1914–1918) as a tool for official propaganda and as means of voicing individual responses to the war ranging from documentation to dissent.

Machine in a Void is made possible by the generous support of the Breidenthal-Snyder Foundation.

The genesis of the exhibition stems from the Spencer’s acquisition of a rare and extensive treatment of the war by Belgian artist Henry de Groux in the form of nearly 50 etchings. These proofs and trial prints were preparatory to a portfolio, Le Visage de la Victoire (The Face of Victory). In his introduction to the printed series, de Groux wrote of the war as an “undeniable and colossal absurdity, like a machine functioning in a void,” an “opulent excess of perfect horror.” The Spencer’s exhibition derives its title from de Groux’s evocative expression. The central goal of the exhibition is to identify and give voice to those artists who, through their work during and shortly after WWI, renounced specific national concerns to articulate a more transcendent vision. These uncommon voices will be exhibited along with mainstream nationalistic and propagandistic works.

The exhibition will be largely drawn from the permanent collection of the Spencer Museum of Art, and will include material that may provoke discussions of the rise of ironic and ambivalent attitudes toward war, the defenselessness of innocents in the face of modern war machines, the use of the graphic arts to promote official government attitudes, and the role of mechanized warfare within the dystopian idea of the Machine Age. The Spencer's collections are rich in works from France, Belgium and Germany and the exhibited artists include Otto Dix, Kerr Eby, George Grosz, Jules de Bruycker, Henry de Groux, André Devambez, Erich Heckel, Henri Ibels, Jean-Emile Laboureur, Karl Maes, Maxime Maufra, Ludwig Meidner, Robert Michel, Johannes Molzahn, Karl Schmidt-Rotluff, Georg Scholz, Max Slevogt, Edmond van Dooren, and, Jean Veber.

Stephen Goddard, senior curator of prints & drawings, is organizing the exhibition following a sabbatical spent primarily in Germany and a fellowship at the Wolfsonian-Florida International University—one of the world’s great repositories for WWI-era material culture. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Spencer will offer programming that involves the campus and the community, including curricular initiatives at KU, a film/book series, children’s art classes, and social networking. A catalogue is planned.

Public Programs

2.6.10

Rocket Grants: Informational Session

10 AM / UMKCs Small Business and Technology Development Center, 4747 Troost Ave, Room 114, Kansas City, MO

With support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Charlotte Street Foundation and the Spencer Museum of Art are partnering to fuel the dynamism of our region’s art ecology by providing direct support for innovative, experimental, artist-driven, and artist-centered projects. Rocket Grants will fund projects that exist outside of established institutions, occur outside of traditional forms of support, challenge traditional methods of production or presentation, add energy and diversity to the field of arts activity in our area, and provide opportunities for the creative growth of those involved. Grants will provide up to $4000 support for selected projects, with a maximum of $40,000 to be awarded in 2010. / Map to UMKC’s Small Business and Technology Development Center

3.4.10

Lecture: J. Michael Farmer on A Jade Pure, Frosty and Clear: Redefining Female Chastity in Early Medieval Sichuan

5 PM / Room 211

Sponsored by Kress Foundation Department of Art History and Spencer Museum of Art / Farmer is Associate Professor of Chinese History, University of Texas, Dallas / Please use west Museum entrance / Murphy Lecture Series

3.11.10

Book Discussion/Film Series: Book Discussion: One of Ours by Willa Cather

6 PM / Kress Gallery

Discussion leader: Professor Frederik Krebs, history, Johnson County Community College / This collaborative program pairs film screenings at the Spencer with book discussions sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library. In conjunction with the exhibition Machine in a Void: World War I & The Graphic Arts, the Library has created a book discussion group on the subject, and the Spencer has assembled a series of films with storylines or themes similar to those found in the literature. A book discussion precedes each screening. To register for the Book Discussion group, contact Maria Butler at (785) 843-3833 ext.123 or email mbutler@lawrence.lib.ks.us

3.25.10

Book Discussion/Film Series: Film: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

7 PM / Lawrence Public Library

This collaborative program pairs film screenings at the Spencer with book discussions sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library. In conjunction with the exhibition Machine in a Void: World War I & The Graphic Arts, the Library has created a book discussion group on the subject, and the Spencer has assembled a series of films with storylines or themes similar to those found in the literature. A book discussion precedes each screening. To register for the Book Discussion group, contact Maria Butler at (785) 843-3833 ext.123 or email mbutler@lawrence.lib.ks.us

3.29.10

KU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute: Machine in a Void: World War I and the Graphic Arts

2-4 PM / Kress Gallery

Join us at the Spencer Museum of Art for a multidisciplinary panel discussion of the exhibition Machine in a Void: World War I and the Graphic Arts. This exhibition will be largely drawn from the permanent collection of the Spencer Museum of Art and will include material that may provoke discussions of the rise of ironic and ambivalent attitudes toward war and the defenselessness of innocents in the face of modern war machines. By invoking the perspective of primarily European artists, the exhibition will bring attention to the substantial roles played by the graphic arts as a tool for official propaganda and as means of voicing individual responses to the war ranging from documentation to dissent / Enrollment required / $ / Class sponsored by KU Continuing Education. Please contact Continuing Education, 785-864-KUCE(5823), www.kuce.org, or kuce@ku.edu

4.8.10

Book Discussion/Film Series: Book Discussion: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

6 PM / Kress Gallery

Discussion leader: Professor Jim Carothers, Department of English at KU / This collaborative program pairs film screenings at the Spencer with book discussions sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library. In conjunction with the exhibition Machine in a Void: World War I & The Graphic Arts, the Library has created a book discussion group on the subject, and the Spencer has assembled a series of films with storylines or themes similar to those found in the literature. A book discussion precedes each screening. To register for the Book Discussion group, contact Maria Butler at (785) 843-3833 ext.123 or email mbutler@lawrence.lib.ks.us

4.10.10

It Starts with Art!: Children's art appreciation classes for ages 5-14 / War of the Worlds: Pencil V. Print

10:30 AM & 1:30 PM /

Explore the exhibition, Machine in a Void: World War I & The Graphic Arts. Study line and composition and experiment with creating the same image in print and pencil / Teacher: Natalie Svacina / $ / To enroll, contact SMA Education Department, 785.864.0137 or smakids@ku.edu, or visit the Spencer's website and enroll online.

4.22.10

Book Discussion/Film Series: Book Discussion: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

6 PM / Kress Gallery

This collaborative program pairs film screenings at the Spencer with book discussions sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library. In conjunction with the exhibition Machine in a Void: World War I & The Graphic Arts, the Library has created a book discussion group on the subject, and the Spencer has assembled a series of films with storylines or themes similar to those found in the literature. A book discussion precedes each screening. To register for the Book Discussion group, contact Maria Butler at (785) 843-3833 ext.123 or email mbutler@lawrence.lib.ks.us

4.29.10

Reception/Party: Spring Student Night & Juried Art Show Opening

5:30-7:30 PM / Central Court & Galleries

Sponsored by the SMA Student Advisory Board / The SMA Student Advisory Board invites students to enjoy its annual Spring Student Night. Featuring free food, live and DJ music, and art!

5.1.10

Arts & Culture Festival:

1-4 PM / SMA Galleries and Front Lawn

Co-sponsored by SMA Student Advisory Board / In conjunction with SMA spring exhibitions

5.13.10

Gallery Talk: Machine-in-a-Void by Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings Steve Goddard

Noon / Kress Gallery

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