Mission and Commission

How the first decade of Documenta, one of the art world's most-watched exhibitions, shaped the economics of contemporary art

Today, Documenta's independence from the art market is a given, but this has not always been the case. In its nascent years, Documenta was at the center of a web of vested interests such as the need for funding, the democratization of art and the lucrative pretensions of an emergent art market. Mission and Commission explores the confluences and conflicts of such interests, approaching a well-known story from a novel angle. Among the main characters of this side of Documenta's history are Arnold Bode, the "founding father" of Documenta; Hein Stuenke, former co-organizer of the exhibition; gallery owner Rudolf Zwirner; and the founder of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Knud Jensen. Mela Davila Freire has worked as a consultant and independent researcher with the Documenta Archive in Kassel. She was formerly Head of Publications and Head of the Study Center at the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona.