Together with Jan Henderikse, Henk Peeters, and Jan Schoonhoven, the versatile artist Armando (1929-2018) established the now world-famous Nul group, the Dutch branch of the international ZERO movement. During this period, Armando was mainly known for his wall pieces made from sheets of metal, bolts, and barbed wire. Much less well-known are the immersive installations he made in the 1960s. For the first time ever, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam will be bringing together all the Nul installation Armando created in an exhibition.
Armando, zwarte bouten op rood, 12/62 (1962), 121,5 x 121,5 cm | Kunstmuseum, Den Haag | Foto: Archief Armando Stichting
Armando and the other artists involved in the Nul group made aloof, business-like art in an attempt to eliminate the artist’s hand from their work as much as possible. In no way was art allowed to look ‘picturesque’ anymore. While the Nul group is often associated with wall pieces featuring serial structures and monochrome surfaces, Armando showed that these same principles could also unfold in the three-dimensional space. His lesser-known installations from that period interpret the ideas of the Nul group in a much more physical way. The artworks concerned are an early, untitled installation (1958), his Autobandenwand [Car Tyres Wall] (1962), and the installations Zwart water [Black Water] and Rode vaten, Zwarte Vaten [Red Barrels, Black Barrels] (both 1964). In these immersive installations, principles like order, repetition, and neutrality can also be experienced in a very physical way, while spectators are surrounded by the works.
Armando, Black Water, 1964
The four installations Armando made during this period have previously only been exhibited separately. In 1962 and 1964, three of the four works were part of high-profile ZERO exhibitions at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Gemeentemuseum (now Kunstmuseum) in The Hague. The earliest of these installations by Armando was only exhibited in 1958 and has never been shown since. The Armando Foundation has now granted permission to reconstruct this work. This will therefore be the very first time that all four installations are shown together. For this purpose the museum is working in close collaboration with the Armando Foundation.