Franz West

Emerging in the early 1970s, Austrian artist Franz West (1947-2012) developed a unique aesthetic that engaged equally high and low reference points and often privileged social interaction as an intrinsic component of his work. By playfully manipulating everyday materials and imagery in novel ways, he created objects that serve to redefine art as a social experience, calling attention to the way in which art is presented to the public, and how viewers interact with works of art and with each other. The 1990s proved critical in the development of the idiosyncratic style for which West is still known today. Key innovations from this period—which included the addition of exuberant color to his papier-mâché forms, the incorporation of furniture both as art object and as social incubator, and the inclusion of work by other artists in his own installations—resulted in dynamic, frequently interactive installations that helped to redefine the possibilities of sculpture and the ways in which art is experienced. Published by David Zwirner Books on the occasion of the gallery’s 2014 exhibition, this fully illustrated publication will give an in-depth overview of this decade, arguably the most important of the artist’s lengthy career, and will feature essays by noted West scholars Eva Badura-Triska and Veit Loers.