In 1969, Douglas Huebler (1924–1997) penned one of the most emblematic phrases in the discussion on the dematerialization of art: “The world is full of objects, more or less interesting; I do not wish to add any more. I prefer, simply, to state the existence of things in terms of time and/or place.” The artist abandoned painting and sculpture in 1968 in order to organize his work around the 
principles of time (Duration Piece) and place (Location Piece), sometimes combining the two (Variable Piece). At this stage, his works consisted of maps, diagrams, notations, and photo-collages with accompanying text. The artist used them to explore systems of social and economic relationships and questions about the status of artworks. Although he was not completely successful 
in not adding to the world, the objects themselves took a back seat to the themes they were probing. Approximately thirty works were on display on the first floor of the museum, some of which were on loan from the collection of the Print Room of the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Geneva, who organized the exhibition.