The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Simpson Humanities Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Foundation, which was established by a major gift from Barclay and Sharon Simpson. The publisher also gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions to this book provided by the following individuals and organizations: Bobbie & Fletcher Benton Graduate Theological Union: The Center for the Arts, Religion & Education Hackett-Freedman Gallery Harold & Gertrud Parker, Tiburon, Calif. Paula Z. Kirkeby Russ McClure Harry Y. Oda Hans G. & Thordis W. Burkhardt Foundation Charles & Glenna Campbell John B. Stuppin Peter Selz This page intentionally left blank Peter Selz sketches of a life in art paul j. k arlstrom with Ann Heath Karlstrom university of california press Berkeley  Los Angeles  London University of California Press, one of the most distinguished univer- sity presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England © 2012 by The Regents of the University of California Every effort has been made to identify the rightful copyright holders of material not specifically commissioned for use in this publication and to secure permission, where applicable, for reuse of all such material. Credit, if and as available, has been provided for all borrowed material either on-page, on the copyright page, or in an acknowledgment section of the book. Errors or omissions in credit citations or failure to obtain permission if required by copyright law have been either unavoidable or unintentional. The author and publisher welcome any information that would allow them to correct future reprints. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Karlstrom, Paul J. Peter Selz : sketches of a life in art / Paul J. Karlstrom with Ann Heath Karlstrom. —1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-520-26935-4 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Selz, Peter Howard, 1919– 2. Art historians—United States— Biography. 3. Art critics—United States—Biography. 4. Art museum curators—United States—Biography. I. Selz, Peter Howard, 1919– II. Karlstrom, Ann Heath. III. Title. N7483.S383K37 2012 708.0092—dc23 [B] 2011022766 Manufactured in the United States of America 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally responsible and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has printed this book on Rolland Enviro100, a 100% post-consumer fiber paper that is FSC certified, deinked, processed chlorine-free, and manufactured with renewable biogas energy. It is acid-free and EcoLogo certified. Contents Illustrations follow page 96 Preface: Setting the Scene vii 1. Childhood: Munich, Art, and Hitler 1 2. New York: Stieglitz, Rheingold, and 57th Street 12 3. Chicago to Pomona: New Bauhaus and Early Career 27 4. Back in New York: Inside MoMA 48 5. MoMA Exhibitions: From New Images of Man to Alberto Giacometti 72 6. POP Goes the Art World: Departure from New York 97 7. Berkeley: Politics, Funk, Sex, and Finances 118 8. Students, Colleagues, and Controversy 149 9. A Career in Retirement: Returning to Early Themes and Passions 178 10. A Conclusion: Looking at Kentridge and Warhol 206 Notes 211 Selected Bibliography and Exhibition History 251 Acknowledgments 261 Index 265 This page intentionally left blank Preface Setting the Scene More than a quarter of a century after Peter Selz resigned as director of the University Art Museum in Berkeley, California, and returned to the classroom, he found himself four hundred miles south, seated at a table at L’Angolo Cafe in Los Angeles. His dinner companion asked him if he would like to go watch one of his former undergraduate lecture-class students paint on a large plastic “canvas” while a rock band played. Peter enthusiastically responded, “Let’s go!” Shortly thereafter he walked through the door of the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Boulevard into a wall of highly amplified sound. Norton Wisdom, covered with paint, was furiously creating spontaneous imagery, pausing only briefly to transform shapes and marks, erasing here and adding there, in an ever- changing direct pictorial response to the music. The year was 1999, and this was the “pickup” supergroup Banyan, composed of some of the top improvisational jazz-rock fusion musicians of the 1980s and ’90s, on its first tour. Wisdom was already becoming known as “The Artist” for his work with various bands and highly regarded solo musicians.1 vii