Robert Whitman

A major figure in the ephemeral Happenings—a hybrid art form spanning installation, performance, and other mediums that is foundational in Pace’s history and its interdisciplinary program today—Whitman first presented his seminal performance American Moon in 1960. Consisting of an architectural environment-come-stage set, the work featured six performers, a dedicated movie, and a series of animated objects. Experiential in nature and circumstance, Whitman’s happenings and specifically American Moon developed from a series of sketches, watercolors and fragmented captions and verbal notation rather than a fixed “script.” For Whitman, time was and “is something material,” to be stretched and teased, as a generator of lived experience. A three-dimensional abstraction collaged from found material and the collaborative engagement of performers and audience.

Pace is pleased to present a restaging of American Moon over the course of three evenings, from January 18th to 20th, 2023, featuring a recreation of Whitman’s original set, and engaging a new generation of New York-based performers, including Lizzi Bougatsos, Patrick Gallagher, Morgan Griffin, Miguel Angel Guzman, John Hoobyar, and Raymond Pinto. Working with this contemporary cast, Whitman chooses to return to his seminal “story” to connect the history of the Happenings with the contemporary need and desire for experiential culture. The tidemarks of activity from the performances, along with Whitman’s original notes and drawings will be on view as a physical exhibition.