Franz West

From his abstract sculptures and collage to furniture and largescaleworks, the character of Franz West's work is unrestrainedlyirreverent, and yet also profoundly philosophical. Deeply influencedby Viennese actionism and the Viennese art scene of the 1960s and1970s, West sought to relocate art from [...]
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From his abstract sculptures and collage to furniture and largescaleworks, the character of Franz West's work is unrestrainedlyirreverent, and yet also profoundly philosophical. Deeply influencedby Viennese actionism and the Viennese art scene of the 1960s and1970s, West sought to relocate art from pristine gallery spaces intothe everyday. His Passstucke (Adaptives) -papier-mache pieces thatwere intentionally made to be handled - explored an immediaterelationship between art and its audience in a performative but alsopsychological way. Extending this theme, he later created playfulsculptures that doubled as seats and communal spaces. In his finalyears he produced a number of large, coloured aluminium sculpturesfor installation in public spaces (including Central Park, New York, thePlace Vendome, Paris, and the Stubenbrucke in Vienna).Throughout his career, West collaborated with numerous artists,musicians, writers and photographers, many of whom have beeninterviewed for this new publication, providing a richly detailed andpersonal overview of the artist's 40-year career. This new publicationably examines both the artist's ironic, punk sensibility and his originalapproach to materials, colours and forms. Also included are examplesof his lesser-known drawings and works on paper.In 2011, West was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennaleand has twice been selected for the Kassel Documenta (IX & X);and, much like his contemporaries Mike Kelley or Gerhard Richter,West has become a key figure of inspiration for a generation ofyounger artists.