ART ET INDUSTRIE

Is a gallery founded by Rick Kaufmann in 1977.

For 20 years it featured art furniture, this is the story...

TOLD BY

Terence Main
Michele Oka Doner
James Hong
Rick Kaufmann
Tracy Rust
Carmen Spera

James Evanson
Howard Meister
Forrest Myers
Richard Snyder
Alex Locadia
_

THE STORY

There has never before been a comprehensive film depicting the extraordinary struggles and triumphs of an art curator, his vision, and his favorite artists. Art et Industrie, founded by the visionary, Rick Kaufman, was the first art movement in the late 1970s to feature unconventional art in furniture form in the United States. The movement involved artists and designers who created unique, oftentimes handmade, and extremely limited edition pieces. Art et Industrie was a transitional moment for art and design in the United States.

This documentary strives to encapsulate the bittersweet meaning that Art et Industrie had in the lives of these revolutionary artists who, as they age and juggle their jobs and family needs, continue to pursue the same dreams they had 37 years ago. Art et Industrie attempts to document a vital part of the 80s New York art scene. The Art et Industrie movement was the first of its kind in the United States, and it continues to have a tremendous influence in the global art world.

"We were on a mission from God." When the Blues Brothers film came out with that line it rang double true, because we were on a mission to change the way the world looked; from beige to techno colors; from the past to the future. There was a rag tag group of American artists -- the magnificent dozen -- but they were not alone. There was a bubbling up in Europe and Japan of other renegades who were also on the same trail; Sottsass, Mendini, De Lucchi, Arad, Kuramata to mention a few. They started showing up at the gallery and openings where ideas flowed like wine (and some other stuff too).

This was a global movement but the Americans were different. They were more hard edged, while the Europeans and the Japanese were informed by design. The American attack was an absolute ART ATTACK! We threw a small stone directly into the heart of a big pond and it's ripples are still felt today. Looking back, through some sort of miracle, we did change the way the world looks…

Mission accomplished.

-Rick Kaufmann

Art et Industrie Founder

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Art et Industrie was an art movement, led by Rick Kaufman and Tracy Rust. Their vision drew incredibly gifted artists together to create one-of-a-kind art furniture and has left lasting impressions on generations of designers and artists. Art et Industrie revolutionized the concept of function vs. design in furniture-making in the late-1970s in America. As these magnificent works have passed the test of time, I knew it was critical to examine the impact this movement and its distinctive artists have had on the art world.

Thanks to the patience, superb skills, and brilliance of my crew, I have shot this film with the intensity and visual rawness of a spaghetti-western in order to portray artists as lonely warriors. My photography references for this project are Josef Koudelka and Anton Corbjin. Featuring Rick Kaufman and the surviving artists of Art et Industrie, this film will be set against the backdrop of New York City, intercut with images, videos and music closely associated with the 1980s art scene. To ensure a visual flow, I will include home videos and photographs of the artists working in their studios, then and now, as well as interview art critics and collectors.

- Pandora Castelli

www.pandoracastelli.com

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