History of PS1

The first publication to capture the vibrancy, scrappy idiosyncrasy, and stubborn contemporaneity of PS1’s rich history since its founding in 1971

Since its inception in the early 1970s, MoMA PS1 has been a crucible for radical experimentation. Committed to the city as well as to maintaining an international scope, PS1 has always put the artist at the center, engaging practitioners old and young, well established or completely unknown, and at work in every discipline from performance, music, dance, poetry, and new media to painting, sculpture, photography, and architecture. This groundbreaking publication captures the vibrancy, scrappy idiosyncrasy, and stubborn contemporaneity of a long and venerable tradition that began with the legendary series of performances organized by founder Alanna Heiss under the Brooklyn Bridge in 1971.

Organized into three main sections that delve into PS1’s rich history during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and beyond, the book features in-depth conversations between Heiss and Klaus Biesenbach, the current director of MoMA PS1, and over 40 recollections and statements, both new and historical, by artists, curators, and critics closely associated with the institution, including Rebecca Quaytman, James Turrell, Andrea Zittel and many others. Extensive illustrations include photographic documentation of exhibitions and performances from the archives, facsimile catalogue pages, letters, applications to the studio program, exhibition posters, and event invitations. Complete with an illustrated chronology and comprehensive exhibition history, this book offers a vivid chronicle of the extraordinary history of MoMA PS1