Styles & Movements

Collaboration

Collaboration has always existed among artists in some form. From the collaborations of Rembrandt with fellow Dutch artist Benjamin Gerritsz Cuyp, to the ill-fated partnership of Gauguin and Van Gogh (where the two artists tried to paint together and inspire each other's work), to the massive joint efforts of sculptors Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, to the performance pieces of the British team Gilbert and George, art history is studded with famous collaborations. In addition, it is well-known that famous artists of the Renaissance and other eras had "studios" where much of the actual work was done by teams of apprentice artists. These studio-based productions continue through the present time, especially for large projects.

In the 50s and the decades after, artists such as Larry Rivers, Robert Indiana, R.B. Kitaj, Marisol, Robert Indiana, and many others worked with poets—Robert Creeley, Frank O'Hara, and others— collaborating on limited editions, exploring how the word and image could work together. During the 80s, there were a few notable collaborations, including Jean Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Francesco Clemente's joint painting efforts. Such ventures always ran the risk of being dismissed as gimmicks, and collaborations of all types are always difficult for art establishments to accept, accustomed as they are to the notion of the individual aesthetic. Nonetheless, artists—especially artists from different disciplines—are still drawn to collaboration, in spite of its inherent difficulty.

A totally unique collaborative philosophy arose in the 80s with the work of Tim Rollins and KOS, a teacher/student group artistic collaboration which has produced a series of remarkable artworks.

See Rollins & KOS