Hans Haacke

Hans Haacke began his career as an abstract painter and, after joining with the international artist group Zero, turned his attention to works that engaged systems of biological and physical processes. In 1965 Haacke settled in New York, and by 1970 embarked on works that explored what he called “social systems,” using a conceptual approach that sought to uncover the often concealed ties that exist between art and the ideological, economic, and political powers that underpin its creation, presentation, and distribution. Shapolsky et al. Manhattan Real Estate Holdings, a Real-Time Social System, as of May 1, 1971 details two decades of the questionable dealings of Harry Shapolsky, the owner of a vast empire of slum properties in New York. Haacke sourced all of his information from the public record, and the work’s components—documentary photographs of the buildings, maps, typewritten real estate fact sheets—are presented neutrally, leaving viewers to unravel the significance of the data. Still, Shapolsky et al. ignited controversy when its inclusion in the planned 1971 solo exhibition of Haacke’s work at the Guggenheim Museum led the institution’s director to cancel the show abruptly and fire the organizing curator. This act of censorship led to speculation that the web of corporate ties documented in the piece had come too close to the interests of the museum’s trustees, though this was never proven.