Tom Marioni

In 1969, as an art action, Tom Marioni released a tightly coiled metal tape measure into the air. The instrument started out as a circle, then opened up and created a loud sound as it made a drawing in space, and finally fell to the ground as a line. The work was titled One Second Sculpture, and it demonstrated several principles of Conceptual Art. Instead of looking for form in things, or objects, in the world, Conceptual artists began to pay attention to forms that occur in life situations. Marioni pioneered using social situations as art, and his 1970 piece called The Act of Drinking Beer with Friends is the Highest Form of Art has become legendary. Also in 1970, Marioni founded the Museum of Conceptual Art (MOCA) as “a large-scale social work of art.” Until it closed in 1984, he directed MOCA and at the same time continued to pursue his individual work as an artist, including a large body of work in sculpture, drawing and printmaking. MOCA was the first “alternative art space” in the United States, and it presented many landmark shows, (including the first “Sound Sculpture” show in 1970), and also provided a social situation for artists.

Tom Marioni has shown and performed his work in a number of exhibitions throughout his career. Solo shows include the Bradley Memorial Museum of Art, Columbus, GA, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA, The Oakland Museum, Oakland, M H deYoung Museum of Art, San Francisco, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Museum of Conceptual Art, San Francisco, Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, Yerba Buena Center for Arts, San Francisco.

Courtesy of the Artist and Crown Point Press