24.10.24, 19:00, John C. Welcham, Underwear, Fashion, Invitation, Exhibition: The Inaugural Visibilities of Pense-Bête

One hundred years ago, the important Belgian poet/artist Marcel Broodthaers (1924- 1976) was born. Sixty years ago, he created the key work ‘Pense-Bête’, for which he overlaid 50 of his unsold volumes of poetry with plaster, symbolically making the transition from poetry to visual art. To mark this double anniversary, S.M.A.K. commissioned John C. Welchman — Professor of Art History at the University of California, San Diego — to write an in-depth analysis, or close reading, of this work. Prior to the publication, Welchman will present various aspects of his research at S.M.A.K. and various partner institutions including KASK & Conservatorium.