
Photo: Ethan Harrison
1 / 1Robert Whitman: Playback
One of the pioneers of performance and multimedia work, constantly cited as key to the burgeoning postwar genres now considered standard fare in art galleries and museums, Robert Whitman's work of the 1960s and 1970s has long been inaccessible because of its ephemeral nature. This publication and the exhibition it accompanies are the first to reexamine his seminal early work, begun under the influence of Allan Kaprow in the late 1950s. Early performances, in conjunction with fellow artists Jim Dine and Claes Oldenburg, paralleled exhibitions in some of the more influential experimental galleries of the time, including Hansa, Reuben and Martha Jackson. This book comes with a DVD including The American Moon, Flower, Prune Flat, and an interview with the artist as well as commentary on the films.
Publication Details
- Publisher
- Dia Art Foundation
- ISBN
- 9780944521465
- Publication date
- 2003
- Cover
- Hardcover
- Pages
- 224 pages
- Dimension
- 10.25 x 11 in.
- Publication credits
- Edited by Lynne Cooke and Karen Kelly with Bettina Funcke. Texts by Lynne Cooke, David Joselit, George Baker, Ben Portis, and Robert Whitman
Related Artists
Robert Whitman
Robert Whitman was born in New York City in 1935. He lives and works in Warwick, New York.
Related Exhibitions

Exhibition
Robert Whitman: Playback
March 5, 2003–January 11, 2004, Dia Chelsea
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Performance
Robert Whitman: Prune Flat (1965) and Light Touch (1976)
September 10–12, 2003, Dia Chelsea
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Performance
Robert Whitman, Passport
April 17, 2011, Dia Beacon
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Performance
Robert Whitman, MoonRain
May 14, 2011, Dia Beacon
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