The exhibition includes important early works, such as his pieces dedicated to the Russian Constructivist Vladimir Tatlin and to the death of war victims (originally exhibited in the landmark exhibition Primary Structures), both of which revisit the concept of monumentality, as well as the large-scale installation Untitled (To you, Heiner, with admiration and affection) (1973), conceived as a gesture toward Dia’s founder. Primary Structures), ambas revisiones del concepto de monumentalidad, así como su gran instalación Untitled (To you, Heiner, with admiration and affection) (1973) un gesto hacia el fundador de Dia.
Flavin’s trajectory is deeply intertwined with that of the Dia Art Foundation, which holds the most significant collection of his work and maintains a permanent space dedicated to the artist in Bridgehampton, New York. Dia was founded in 1974 by Philippa de Menil, Heiner Friedrich, and Helen Winkler to support artists in realizing visionary projects that might otherwise remain impossible due to their scale or scope. To evoke the institution’s role in enabling such ambitions, they chose the name “Dia,” derived from the Greek word meaning “through.” Today, the foundation comprises nine permanent sites across the United States and Germany, in addition to three temporary exhibition spaces in New York State: Dia Chelsea in New York City, Dia Beacon in the Hudson Valley, and Dia Bridgehampton on Long Island.
Organized by the Dia Art Foundation.
Image: Untitled (to Thordis and Heiner), 1966–71. © Stephen Flavin/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Billy Jim, New York.
