Josef Albers transformed the teaching of art and design in the 20th century by asserting that the process of making and looking at art is more important than the finished product. “Art is not an object, art is an experience” is a simple and profound idea we still contend with today. For Albers, in artmaking, ideas are borne of material and perceptual possibilities and limitations. The same was true for his teaching: any theoretical position had to be formed and reformed through events in the classroom.
Many describe Albers as a crucial mentor: openminded, progressive and democratic. Others found him overbearing or even autocratic. Nowhere is this paradox more pronounced than in the varied voices of women students amongst the boys’ club of 1950’s Yale. These first hand accounts of Albers from his former students and colleagues - William Bailey, Audrey Flack, Karsten Harries, Erwin Hauer, Sheila Hicks, and Richard Lytle - not only suggest Albers’ teaching methods and ideals, but also provide a glimpse into his personality and his relationships.
10 сен 2024
