Pierre Restany's Half Century
International Colloquium
30 November - 1 December 2006

Auditorium of the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art (INHA)PARIS

Organisers
Archives de la Critique d'Art
International Association of Art Critics (AICA)
Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art

Scientific Committee
Nicolas Bourriaud, Richard Leeman, Henry Meyric Hughes, Jean-Marc Poinsot

This colloquium starts from the assumption that it is possible to
reconstruct a history of the art of the second half of the twentieth century
through the activity, writings, networks and campaigns of Pierre Restany.
Doubtless this will be a partial history, in both senses of the word, and a
history that will be distinctly off-centre, at both a geographical and a
theoretical level, in relation to other narratives of this period. Going on
from there, however, we also have to ask what kind history of art, of
modernity, of the avant-gardes and of post modernism the historian maybe
able to construct, from the example offered by Restany's career and activity
as a critic.
We shall be able, with the help of a range of specialists in twentieth
century art and art criticism, to single out the most significant lines of
research for evaluating and interpreting the writings and archives assembled
by a critic, observer, theorist and highly unusual, active participant in
events, who left a lasting mark on the international art scene.

The Colloquium will be held in French and English; it will consist of
plenary sessions, mainly in the form of lectures, discussions, testimonies,
alternating with five academic sessions, which form the basis for this call
for papers.

The proceedings of the colloquium will be published in 2007.

As a contribution to the event, the Archives de la Critique d'Art will offer
special facilities to researchers wishing to work on its holdings of
archival material on Pierre Restany. Further details of these will be
communicated to interested enquirers.

Academic sessions:

1) Geographies
An expanded Europe - East Europe and the Balkans; the American adventure;
the expedition to Amazonia; travels in the Far East; courses in Tokyo; Latin
America.

2) Actions
The École de Paris, Nouveau Réalisme, May 68, the Manifestos ('Le petit
livre rouge de la révolution picturale', 'Le livre blanc de l'art total',
'Manifeste du naturalisme intégral'); the spectacular actions and
happenings; art and technology (incl. Mec Art); the years 1990-2000;
architecture, nature, culture.

3) Networks
The Italian baptism, G.C. Argan; AICA; Domus, Ars; the collaborations
(Cahanne, Ragon, Pluchart ...); dealers, collectors, galleries, publishers;
Restany, as critic and collector; European itineraries; biennials and juries
(Paris, São Paulo, Tokyo ...).

4) Writings
Criticism as a literary genre and questions of style; criticism as an
artistic practice; a critical 'oeuvre'?; the poetic work and his
preoccupation with style; the poetry.

5) Histories
History, according to Restany; the writings; history after Restany: the
archives; critical discourse and historical discourse; history as critical
argument; from action to archive.

Proposals for papers should be e-mailed to us, at the address below, before
3d July 2006. They should take the form of a résumé of no more than 1500
signs and be accompanied by your full personal details (name, contact
details, institution).

Restany2006inha.fr

Richard Leeman
Institut national d'histoire de l'art
2 rue Vivienne
F-75002 PARIS