The idea to organize a McCarthy retrospective at Moderna Museet
was born several years ago, when David Elliot was still the
director. (Elliot served as director from 1996 until 2001.)
In 2001 Lars Nittve became Director. Shortly after, the museum
was closed for two years for needed renovations and all scheduled
exhibitions were cancelled. Nittve suggested that the curatorial
team take up the plans to organize a large McCarthy show and
Magnus af Petersens was put in charge of the project in 2002.
According to af Petersens, “It has been a long process.”
McCarthy has been closely involved in the planning of the exhibition
at all stages in the process.
To organize the loans of specific works, the museum has also
worked closely with McCarthy's gallerists to locate many of
his pieces. Galerie Hauser & Wirth, McCarthy's gallery in Zurich,
has a close relationship with Sammlung Hauser & Wirth (the Hauser
& Wirth Collection), which owns many of McCarthy's important
works. These relationships were crucial to locating and securing
the larger installations included in the exhibition. Loan agreements
were executed in May, 2005, approximately one year before the
exhibition is scheduled to open.
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Paul McCarthy Case Study