Page 43 - The Documenta issue of World of Art magazine (2002)

DOcumenTA11 WORLD exhiBiTiOns

The first documenta was a retrospective, including works of art from all the important groups (Fauvism,
expressionism, cubism, Blue Rider, Futurism) and from such ingenious individuals as pablo picasso, max
ernst,hans Arp, henri matisse, Wassily kandinsky and henry moore. included in this tour de force of the
history of art of the first 50 years of this century were not only the classical representatives of modern
art, but also many influential modern painters from Germany, such as paul klee, Oskar schlemmer and max
Beckmann.

The enormous need to catch up on information brought 130 000 visitors to kassel to see this exhibition,
which was at the same time a retrospective and a forum for contemporary art.
encouraged by this unexpected success, Bode decided to stage a second exhibition in 1959, thereby
establishing the cycle of the kassel expositions. since 1959, the documenta has been organised by a limited
liability company, the associates being the city of kassel and the state of hesse.
until the 4th documenta in 1968, Arnold Bode signed responsible for the exhibition, together with such
noted art historians as Werner haftmann, Will Grohmann, Werner schmalenbach and max imdahl. The
documenta itself turned more and more into a seismograph for developments in contemporary art.
in 1972, “General secretary” harald szeemann fronted a new concept of the exhibition´s organisation. An
international jury, authorized by the board of directors of the documenta company, selects a new artistic
director for each exhibition. in 1997, catherine David was the first woman to be chosen for this position.
each documenta bears the very personal imprint of its curator´s ideas and personal concepts, thereby

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