Christian Marclay: Made To Be Destroyed
9 May - 29 November 2026 Vermont
  • Christian Marclay, Made To Be Destroyed, 2016 [still]. © Christian Marclay

  • Made To Be Destroyed (2016) is a compilation of scenes in which both real and fictional artworks are smeared, broken, torn, toppled, burned, or otherwise damaged. Strategically interweaved by Marclay under a cacophony of sounds, the actions are either intrinsic to the process of creation, or haphazard and intentionally violent, or both.

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    The Hall Art Foundation is pleased to announce the exhibition, Christian Marclay: Made To Be Destroyed to be presented in Reading, Vermont from 9 May - 29 November 2026. Marclay is a Swiss-American artist whose 40-year career spans video, performance, photography and installation. He is perhaps best known for film collages that transform often overlooked aspects in cinema into fantastic explorations of everyday themes. Made To Be Destroyed (2016) is a compilation of scenes in which both real and fictional artworks are smeared, broken, torn, toppled, burned, or otherwise damaged. Strategically interweaved by Marclay under a cacophony of sounds, the actions are either intrinsic to the process of creation, or haphazard and intentionally violent, or both.

  • The title Made To Be Destroyed references the process of film production and the making of objects for cinematic use,...

    Christian Marclay, Made To Be Destroyed, 2016 [still]. © Christian Marclay

    The title Made To Be Destroyed references the process of film production and the making of objects for cinematic use, while raising questions about artistic license and legacy. Recognizable reproductions of notable artworks include examples by Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, James McNeill Whistler, and Egon Schiele. In one scene, a gun fight staged at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City results in fast-paced destruction throughout the building, itself a dedicated landmark by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. While the destruction at times references the long history of artwork confiscations under authoritarian regimes, Made To Be Destroyed also upends the distanced conduct required in museums and galleries.

  • In Made To Be Destroyed, Marclay's source material spans nearly a century. The film productions are geographically diverse, including examples...

    Christian Marclay, Made To Be Destroyed, 2016 [still]. © Christian Marclay

    In Made To Be Destroyed, Marclay's source material spans nearly a century. The film productions are geographically diverse, including examples from the US, Sweden, the former Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom. Through quick transitions, Marclay often obscures the film's intended narrative, but contextual clues like the performers' gestures, the style and tempo of the background music, and the cinematography allow associations through form. Through Marclay's intertwining of drama, comedy, action, biography, romance, horror, and documentary, Made To Be Destroyed cumulatively establishes its own disposition.

  • Christian Marclay (b. 1955, California; lives and works in London) is represented in the public collections of the Metropolitan Museum...

    Christian Marclay, Made To Be Destroyed, 2016 [still]. © Christian Marclay

    Christian Marclay (b. 1955, California; lives and works in London) is represented in the public collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.; Tate Modern, London; and Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. His work has been exhibited internationally, including solo presentations at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C. (1990); the Musée d'art et d'histoire, Geneva (1995); the Kunsthaus, Zurich (1997); the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2001); the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2002); Musée d'Art moderne et contemporain, Geneva (2008); the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2010); Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul (2010); Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow (2011); the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (2019); Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (2022); Museum of Modern Art, New York (2025); Brooklyn Museum, New York (2025); and Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin (2025).

     

     

    For more information and images, please contact the Hall Art Foundation's administrative office at info@hallartfoundation.org. 

     

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  • Christian Marclay, Made To Be Destroyed, 2016 [still]. © Christian Marclay
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