Commission Aims
The commission of Niki de Saint Phalle's 'Tympanum' mosaic formed a main feature of the new Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) on Royal Exchange Square which opened in 1996.
Julian Spaulding, then Director of Glasgow Museums, felt passionately about the importance of de Saint Phalle's work and wanted to give it an important and prominent place both inside and outside of the building.
Importantly, this major commission was conceived and developed at a time when the GoMA building was being renovated and restored and an entirely new public collection of artworks installed.
Commission Background
Site-specific artworks were commissioned for particular locations both within and exterior to the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) building. The selected artists were given the opportunity to make work for the specific architechtural context of the building. The four selected artists were:
Niki de Saint Phalle
Adrian Wiszniewski
Andy Goldsworthy
Ian Hamilton Finlay
The commissioning of these works was the result of the direct selection of the artists. In 1993 a major retrospective of de Saint Phalle's work was organized by the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle in Bonn, Germany. The exhibition traveled, modified slightly for each venue and was shown, in addition to the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Fribourg, Switzerland, at the McLellan Galleries in Glasgow. At this time, de Saint Phalle visited the city and began conversations with Julian Spaulding (Head of Glasgow Museums 1989-1998) around the idea of an acquisition and possible commission for the new Gallery of Modern Art. The work of Jean Tinguely, de Saint Phalle's long-term partner, was also included in discussions, with a show of 1980's works never seen before in Britain planned before Tinguely's death in 1991. Spaulding had originally been introduced to de Saint Phalle through Tinguely, and Spaulding and de Saint Phalle developed a close relationship, with Spaulding taking a close interest in her work. His direct involvment with the project at GoMA was unusual in his position as the head of all Glasgow Museums.
Against what he perceived to be a then contemporary trend towards minimalist aesthetics, Spaulding wanted a strong image for GOMA which fitted with his vision of the gallery being place of visual entertainment. The work at the top of GoMA should be glittering and attractive, and similarly the entrance should lead the visitor into another world. Spaulding references vividly painted Greek sculptures undergoing restoration in Munich, and their 'Mardi Gras' like personas as inspirational to the project.
From these original conversations plans were developed for de Saint Phalle and Tinguely sculptures to feature significantly in the new GoMA displays and for a major de Saint Phalle commission for the buildings facade or roof area, which would form a predominant focal point within the new site. Various proposals and ideas were put forward for discussion, including sculptures for the roof and an ambitious Tympanum with moving parts. Eventually, after correspondence between Spaulding and de Saint Phalle resulted in the moving sculpture being deemed unmanageable, it was decided that the external commission would focus on realising an equally rich 2-dimensional mosaic design for the Tympanum, in addition to a 'mirrored room' within the entrance hall.
Archive materials show that communications between Spaulding, de Saint Phalle and her studio were maintained successfully throughout every stage in the development of the commission. Various site visits were additionally held, with de Saint Phalle visiting Glasgow to approve the work after it was installed.
Some delays were caused to the project by de Saint Phalle's ill health. Additionally, various amendments to the commission were made during the development of the work due to cost and logistical restrictions. In particular, the historic nature of the site for the work required consideration and resulted in some compromises or changes. At its completion Spaulding felt the figures featured on the Tympanum were too small and flat to achieve the impact he had hoped for.
Commission Difficulties
Spaulding faced a great deal of opposition when the plans for the Tympanum were revealed. In particular, Dr. Gavin Stamp (then Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art) felt passionately that the planned Tympanum would be damaging to the neo-classical character of the building. To secure approval for the work Spaulding had to agree to Tympanum being reassessed in a number of years time, and possibly removed. The 'plugs' of stone, drilled out of the building into order to secure the work to the facade, would be kept and preserved by Glasgow Museums, and in the case of the works removal, re-inserted into the building so all traces of the work would disappear. The work would stay or go depending on public opinion - as yet the work remains intact.
Funding
The funding for this commission came out of the budget for the overall creation of the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). The project in its entirety (to commission three artists in addition to de Saint Phalle) cost £410,000, receiving a Scottish Arts Council Award of £205,000. Main funders to the GoMA project included Glasgow City Council, The National Lottery and The Royal Bank of Scotland, in addition to The Scottish Arts Council.
Best estimates from archive materials put total costs of the Tympanum commission at approx £100,000 and includes all costs such as artist's fee, transport and production of work.
Legacy
De Saint Phalle additionally gifted several works to Glasgow Museums, including 'Altar of the Dead Cat' (1962).