Douglas Crimp, a groundbreaking art scholar, curator, writer, editor, educator and AIDS activist who challenged the field of art history by insisting on seeing it in a social context, died on July 5 at his home in Manhattan. Rosalyn Deutsche, an art historian and friend, said the cause was multiple myeloma. In his writing, lectures and curating, Mr. Crimp made it his hallmark to disrupt conventions in contemporary art criticism. Mr. Crimp was an early advocate for the revolutionary advances in performance art, dance, video and photography that emerged in the 1970s and ’80s. In 1971, he was there when Joan Jonas presented “Choreomania,” a performance art piece using a moving, mirrored wall, in her SoHo loft; in 1973, in the West Village, he saw the dancer and choreographer Yvonne Rainer perform “Trio A,” a music-less piece featuring everyday movements like toe tapping, walking and kneeling.

Source: International New York Times July 15, 2019 19:30 UTC