Object, Dream, Thought: Marcel Broodthaers, Pense-Bête and Surrealism
lecture by John C. Welchman
Wednesday 23 October 2024, 19:00-20:30
Lange Zaal, Academy
This lecture by John C. Welchman, Distinguished Professor of Art History at the University of California, San Diego, examines the connection between Marcel Broodthaers' early work, Pense-Bête, and the Surrealist genre of Poem-Objects. Introduced by André Breton in the mid-1920s, Poem-Objects were intended to give physical form to the metaphorical and visionary aspects of poetry and dreams. These objects became a recurring theme in Surrealism, with Breton himself creating several in the 1930s and 1940s.
Welchman delves into Broodthaers' broader relationship with Surrealism by referencing Raoul Vaneigem's critical reassessment of the movement in his book Histoire désinvolte du surréalisme (1977), published under the pseudonym Jules-François Dupuis. Vaneigem, a member of the Situationist International, critiques Surrealism for turning the image-as-object into a commodity that conceals alienating relationships, reproducing itself as a purely ideological appearance. The lecture suggests that Broodthaers' career-launching work, Pense-Bête, can be interpreted as a reaction against Surrealist ideals, particularly their tendency to elevate art to a counter-truth that ignores economic realities. Broodthaers' notorious admission of 'insincerity' and his embrace of commercialism are seen as rejections of these Surrealist fantasies.
The lecture addresses the visualization of thought in Broodthaers' work. The title Pense-Bête, which translates to 'memory aid' or 'reminder,' hints at a deeper engagement with the relationship between visual and literary art, a topic central to Surrealism and later, Conceptual Art. By naming both his book of poems and an early sculpture Pense-Bête, Broodthaers critiques and redirects Surrealist ideas about thought, moving away from their mystification and self-referential tendencies.
In collaboration with S.M.A.K., Ghent
To celebrate 100 years Marcel Broodthaers (1924-1976) and the 60th anniversary of his keywork Pense-Bête (1964), S.M.A.K. commissioned art historian John C. Welchman to write a close reading on this seminal work. Welchman will present his findings in a series of rolling lectures, seminars and discussions at S.M.A.K. and various partner institutes.
→ Overview of the lectures
(image: Marcel Broodthaers, 'Pense Bête', 1964, Mixed media, 95,5 cm x 85 cm x 44 cm, Bruikleen Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap)
→ This lecture at the Academy, is part of the research festival ARTICULATE 2024 I ANONYMOUS CREATIVITY - ART WITHOUT ARTISTS
