L’analyse de la réception critique des nouvelles formes d’art apparaissant dès la fin des années 1950 et se développant au cours des années 1960, en particulier dans le champ de la sculpture et des œuvres en trois dimensions, constitue le socle de notre réflexion. Celle-ci vise à mettre en lumière les profondes évolutions que connaissent les processus de conception et de production des œuvres en trois dimensions, chez des artistes que la réception critique « à chaud » puis l’histoire de l’art ont séparés en fonction de critères stylistiques : néo-dada, pop, minimal… L’observation de ces déplacements de la pratique, intégrant des matériaux et des modes de production industriels (ou résistant à ces derniers) offre une autre approche des enjeux de l’art de cette période, qui voit s’éloigner la figure archétypale et héroïque du sculpteur moderniste incarnée par David Smith, et s’élaborer la figure nouvelle de l’artiste « post-studio ». Parallèlement, apparaissent de nouveaux soutiens, institutionnels, financiers et surtout techniques, pour les artistes produisant des œuvres en trois dimensions et délégant tout ou partie de la fabrication à des sociétés industrielles. Un nouveau type d’entreprise voit le jour, spécialisé dans la fabrication d’œuvres en trois dimensions et de sculptures monumentales. Au début des années 1970, les nouveaux modes de fabrication expérimentés durant la décennie précédente sont parfaitement intégrés à l’économie générale de l’art. En proposer une forme d’archéologie afin d’en comprendre les motivations initiales vise à mieux penser les enjeux actuels des pratiques artistiques ayant recours à la fabrication déléguée / The analysis of the critical reception of the new forms of art appearing from the end of the 1950s and developing during the 1960s, especially in the field of sculpture and tridimensional works, constitutes the foundation of our thought. It aims at bringing to light the profound shifts in the conception and production processes of the works in three dimensions, made by artists separated by the critical reception then the art history according to stylistic criteria : Neo-Dada, Pop, Minimal, and so on. To observe these displacements of the art practice, integrating industrials materials and means of production (or resisting them) offers another approach of the art stakes in this period, which sees the archetypal and heroic figure of the modernist sculptor (embodied by David Smith) fading, and elaborating the new figure of the post-studio artist. At the same time, new supports (institutional, financial and especially technical) appear for the artists producing works in three dimensions and delegating all or any of the manufacturing to industrial companies. A new type of company, specialized in the manufacturing of works in three dimensions and monumental sculptures, is born. In the early 1970s, the new means of manufacturing experienced during the previous decade are perfectly integrated into the general economy of art. To propose a kind of archeology of these means in order to understand the initial motivations aims at a better thinking of the current stakes in the artistic practices turning to delegated manufacturing processes

Between the years 1960 and 1970, New York gallerist Leo Castelli was closely involved with Milanese editor and publisher Bruno Alfieri's Metro magazine--an international review of contemporary art. By placing his artists in Metro, Castelli inserted them into the world of Italian art criticism and theory. This recontextualization familiarized the American artists of Castelli's gallery to a European audience and positioned them at the end of a succession of modern European styles. Specifically, Castelli's artists, each of whom engaged in a form of pictorial figuration, were seen as ending the dominance of the "pure" abstraction of the French informel style. This thesis uses the archive of correspondence between Bruno Alfieri and Leo Castelli to examine Castelli's contribution to Metro during the 1960s. Departing from this chronology, it also seeks to understand the unique brand of figuration that each of Castelli's artists brought to Metro, given cues from contemporary Italian theory and criticism--particularly that of Gillo Dorfles, who wrote on several of Castelli's artists. / text

It has not been easy for me to talk about myself or describe my feelings or thoughts. Coming from Japan, a collective society, we typically are not raised to do so. Throughout the MFA program at UCF, I have shared my feelings and thoughts through my work. It is important to discuss and inform others of our cultural similarities and differences so that we may gain a better understanding of each other. This process has helped me grow not only on an artistic level, but also on a personal level. My journey towards integration has led me to a meaningful studio practice, which has allowed my work to bridge the gap between Western and Eastern artistic sensibilities. At the beginning of the MFA program, my mother sent many boxes of origami from Japan. As I started incorporating my mother’s origami into my work, I found myself identifying with the origami butterfly. My realization is that the person I am now is not the person I was when I began this journey. My wish for you, the reader, is to go along with me as I tell you the story of my transformation.