Franz West’s Papier-Mâché Playground at David Zwirner

Franz West’s Papier-Mâché Playground at David Zwirner
Franz Wests Papier-Mache Playground at David Zwirner

Franz West, Telefonat (Phone Call) (1997). © Archiv Franz West, © Estate Franz West. Courtesy Archiv Franz West, Estate Franz West, and David Zwirner, Los Angeles.

Franz Wests Papier-Mache Playground at David Zwirner

Franz West, Passstück (Adaptive) (1975). Wood, glue, plaster, and dispersion. 56 x 63 x 18 cm. Courtesy David Zwirner, Los Angeles.

Franz Wests Papier-Mache Playground at David Zwirner

Franz West, Untitled (1998). Structural steel, paint bucket lid, papier-mâché, gauze, plaster, dispersion, and acrylic. 63.5 x 35.6 x 35.6 cm. Courtesy David Zwirner, Los Angeles.

Franz Wests Papier-Mache Playground at David Zwirner

Franz West, Untitled (1998). Cardboard, papier-mâché, gauze, plaster, dispersion, and acrylic. 55.9 x 45.7 x 35.6 cm. Courtesy David Zwirner, Los Angeles.

Franz Wests Papier-Mache Playground at David Zwirner

Exhibition view: Franz West, David Zwirner, Los Angeles (26 October–16 December 2023). Courtesy David Zwirner, Los Angeles. Photo: Elon Schoenholz.

Franz Wests Papier-Mache Playground at David Zwirner

Exhibition view: Franz West, David Zwirner, Los Angeles (26 October–16 December 2023). Courtesy David Zwirner, Los Angeles. Photo: Elon Schoenholz.

By Simon Fisher – 26 October 2023, Los Angeles

Working in cheap materials such as papier-mâché and plaster, Franz West is best known for his playful and humorous sculptures that highlight our interactions with art and each other.

David Zwirner brings the late artist’s lumpy forms to Los Angeles for an exhibition spanning West’s work from the late 1970s to the early 2000s. Running from 26 October to 16 December 2023, the presentation centres on West’s ‘Legitimate Sculptures’, which he began producing in the early 1990s.

Made from papier-mâché and fragments of everyday objects, West’s misshapen, wonky sculptures suggest several things at once. They might appear as a row of classical busts, a gathering of amorphous faces, or something entirely otherworldly.

Perched on paint-splattered tables, West’s colourful ‘Legitimate Sculptures’ seem absurd, at odds with their pleading, tongue-in-cheek title.

To further pique viewers’ curiosity, the gallery also presents West’s ‘Passstücke (Adaptives)’ series from the mid-1970s. These small, rarely seen sculptures invite interaction, encouraging us to touch, manipulate, and alter their context, offering another glimpse into West’s playful oeuvre.

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