Daniel Buren

Daniel Buren – Protest through reduction and denial

Daniel Buren was born in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris in 1938. He studied sculpture at the École des Metiers d’Art in Paris from 1957 to 1960 and a short attendance at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts intensified his decision for painting. He quickly found his preferred motif: stripes. Stripes with an exact width of 8.7 centimeters, stripes of alternating white and colour. Stripes in protest against the established norms in the art world. In this respect, Daniel Buren joined forces with his fellow artists Olivier Mosset, Michael Parmentier and Niele Toroni to form the collective ‘BMT’ and practiced a strict division of tasks: Buren painted vertical stripes, Mosset circles, Parmentier horizontal stripes, and Toroni painted small squares. The resulting paintings were first exhibited, then taken down – by the artists themselves as an actionist revolution against the art establishment. Interested visitors only saw a banner with the cancellation and were left to their own thoughts. 

From canvas to awnings

Daniel Buren remained true to stripes, whilst the material on which he fashioned them changed. At first, he swapped his canvases for awnings and began taking his striped images out into the world. He used them as placards at demonstrations, he decorated train doors, escalators, and advertising pillars. By doing so, Buren created exactly that which he was actually protesting against and what he wanted to avoid: an artistic signature, one that could be attributed unequivocally to him everywhere. He also compiled numerous theoretical writings in which he presented his views, and was not sparing of criticism of the system. The more Buren protested and criticised, the more enthusiastically the art world reacted to its opponent, celebrated him, honoured him, invited him to prestigious exhibitions: Buren took part in Documenta several times and numerous museums wanted his works – but Daniel Buren did not want the museums. 

Art for the world and its people

For Daniel Buren, the public space was the only correct and appropriate environment for his artistic realisation. He wanted to go where the people were, where they lived and moved. He designed the floors of the main train station in Wolfsburg and created an accessible artwork of 266 column stumps in the Cour d’Honneur of the Palais Royal, Les Deux Plateaux. Buren had no fear of contact; he decorated a tram stop in Alsace as well as a synagogue in Stommeln which he transformed into a light, seemingly endless space with two mirrored walls. Daniel Buren loves the struggle for attention which is so necessary and possible only in the public space. He wishes to catch people and reach them on their way – an endeavour that is not always easily achieved. In collaboration with the Parisian leather foods manufacturer Hermès, Buren has designed 365 silk scarves, as many as there are days in the year, each one unique. Such a piece costs 5000 euro – but the artist does not want interested buyers just to collect them, but to wear them. Daniel Buren has received awards of all calibers for his art, including such prestigious awards as the Leone d’oro.