Vices and Virtues
photo by Michele Lamanna, courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art
Installation shot of an exhibition copy of Bruce Nauman, Vices and Virtues, 1983-88 as installed on the frieze of the U.S. Pavilion. Neon and clear glass tubing mounted on aluminum support grid.
GOLDEN LION FOR BEST NATIONAL PARTICIPATION
AT THE 53RD INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION – LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA
AWARDED TO: PAVILION OF THE UNITED STATES
BRUCE NAUMAN: TOPOLOGICAL GARDENS
Venice, Italy, June 6, 2009—The Philadelphia Museum of Art, commissioning institution for the United States Pavilion at the 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, announced today that the U.S. representation, Bruce Nauman: Topological Gardens, has been awarded the prestigious Golden Lion for the Best National Participation. According to a statement from the Biennale, the presentation was selected “in recognition of the sustained energy and precision of Bruce Nauman’s art. From iconic embodiments of human pain and fragility to pithy jabs at our frailties, his oeuvre reveals the magic of meaning as it emerges through relentless repetition of language and form.” This is the first time since 1990 that the United States has received the much-coveted award. Organized by the Museum in collaboration with the Università Iuav di Venezia and the Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia, Topological Gardens is currently on view in Venice at the U.S. Pavilion and the two universities. Carlos Basualdo, the Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Curator of Contemporary Art, and Michael R. Taylor, Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, developed the exhibition with the artist and serve as the U.S. Commissioners.
Paolo Baratta, President of the Biennale, announced the award on June 6, 2009 at 17:00 in the Giardini della Biennale. The ceremony took place just steps away from the neoclassical U.S. Pavilion, where Nauman’s major neon work Vices and Virtues dramatically illuminates the entire exterior. The selection was made by an international jury proposed by Daniel Birnbaum and approved by the Board of the Biennale. Chaired by Angela Vettese (Italy), the jury included Jack Bankowsky (USA), Homi K. Bhabha (India), Sarat Maharaj (South-Africa), and Julia Voss (Germany). Commissioner Basualdo, who accepted the Golden Lion on behalf of the U.S. representation, thanked Bruce Nauman; Michael Taylor, his Co-Commissioner; Erica Battle, the Project Curatorial Assistant, all of whom joined him on stage, as well as the entire Museum staff and its Board of Trustees. He stated, "most of all, it has been an amazing honor to work closely with one of the great artists of our time, Bruce Nauman."
