Commissions

Greenlit: Bricks! BBC4

Bricks! (1 x 60′) – It has been 40 years since the infamous ‘Tate Bricks’ captivated Britain. In 1976, the exhibition of Carl Andre’s 120 fire bricks laid out on the floor of the Tate Gallery, caused huge controversy. Now, to mark the anniversary of this memorable brush with minimalist art, and The Bricks new home at Tate Modern, this documentary celebrates the artwork that captured a nation’s imagination.

Before Tracey’s Bed or Damien’s Shark there were the Tate Bricks. Forty years ago, the Tate Gallery in London exhibited American artist Carl Andre’s art work, Equivalent VIII, better known as The Bricks. In the midst of the economic depression that defined the 1970s it triggered a national outcry. The work was sabotaged – covered in blue food dye, and inspired the now famous tabloid headline ‘WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH’.

Unpicking the Bricks story, award-winning director Clare Beavan’s entertaining and revealing documentary tells the tale of what happened when modern art and public opinion came up against a brick wall. Seldom has the subject of bricks ignited such passion. Did Carl Andre’s artwork pave the way for a greater appetite for conceptual art in Britain?

Contributions in the documentary range from those involved in the original controversy, including the curator Richard Morphet, who acquired the art work on behalf of the Tate, and The Sunday Times journalist Colin Simpson who broke the story, to major contemporary British artists Damien Hirst and Cornelia Parker, and historians and critics from across the British art world.

Platform: BBC4

Producer: BBC

TX: TBC

Source: BBC press release