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Until mid-March 2010 Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany shows the first major retrospective of Franz West (born 1947 in Vienna) in Europe. The Austrian sculptor is considered as one of the most influential artists of our times.

On display are over 40 works dating from 1972 to the present, which in some cases the artist has grouped together in themed constellations. The title Autotheater (Auto-Theatre) points to the performative, interactive dimension of his work. According to Franz West his Passstücke (Adaptives) “are sculptures as it were that one can pick up and use to gesticulate however one sees fit”. West has also extended this dialogue with the viewer to include his furniture sculptures, which he has produced since the mid-eighties. Since the nineties he has worked increasingly with others artists, such as for instance Michelangelo Pistoletto (Spiegel in Kabine mit Passstücken = Mirror in Cubicle with Adaptives) and Heimo Zobernig (Auto Sex).

The exhibition has been conceived in close collaboration with the artist and presents his works in new combinations and in new contexts.

Franz West’s ties with Cologne go back many years. In 1981 Museum Ludwig’s director Kasper König showed West’s Adapatives for the first time in the exhibition Westkunst. In 1998 the Gesellschaft für moderne Kunst am Museum Ludwig awarded Franz West the Wolfgang Hahn Prize and purchased his Kantine for the museum. As early as in 2001 the museum arranged for a Franz West installation to be exhibited on a short-term basis as part of the “Museum of our Wishes” – Kasper König’s first exhibition at Museum Ludwig. This was followed in 2006 by the museum purchasing the work Plural (2006). Thus, Franz West ‘s retrospective “Auto-Theatre” constitutes a logical progression in the museum’s enduring interest in this artist.

The loans come both from the artist’s studio and internationally renowned museums and private collections, including the Galerie für zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, the Generali Foundation, Mumok Wien, the Essl Collection, Kunstsammlung NRW, Centre Pompidou, the Grässlin Collection, Anton and Annick Herbert.

The exhibition will move on in May 2010 to Madre in Napels and in September 2010 to Kunsthaus Graz.

Franz West: Autotheater / Retrospective at Museum Ludwig, Cologne. Exhibition walkthrough, January 6, 2009.

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In part 2 of the guided tour through the “Räume für Kunst” collector Thomas Grässlin shows us works by Mark Dion, Manuel Ocampo, Franz West, Martin Kippenberger, Michael Beutler and Markus Oehlen. The concept “Räume für Kunst” exists since 1995. Vacant shops in St. Georgen, Black Forest / Germany are temporarily used for exhibitions. For guided tours visit the collection’s website. St. Georgen, Germany, June 30, 2007. Part 2/3.
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Related Articles:

• Open House / Grässlin Collection / part 3/3
• Open House / Grässlin Collection / part 1/3

After the successful opening of the Kunstraum Grässlin art space in 2006 (see Inauguration Kunstraum Grässlin), the Grässlin family again invited art lovers to St. Georgen in the Black Forest for an open day. We took a guided tour with Thomas and Karola Grässlin. The tour started at the Kunstraum, where a new exhibition presents works by Cosima von Bonin, Kai Althoff und Jan Timme. In this video Thomas Grässlin shows us also works by Franz West (“Lemuren” and “Sitzwüste”), Henning Bohl, Michaela Meise and Judith Hopf. St. Georgen, Germany, June 30, 2007. Part 1/3.
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> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.
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Related Articles:

• Open House / Grässlin Collection / part 3/3
• Open House / Grässlin Collection / part 2/3

Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers present “Mondi Possibili”. On display are furniture and objects by Richard Artschwager, Benjamin Bergmann, Thomas Demand, Thea Djordjadze, Peter Fischli / David Weiss, Claus Föttinger, Stefan Kern, Frances Scholz, Andreas Schulze, Franz West, and Martin Wöhrl. “The works on display deal with the subject of furniture from a variety of angles: as citation, as homage, as adaptation, or as copy. Others are usable objects that hardly differ from their reference objects in the domain of design or furniture.” (PR Sprüth Magers). The exhibition is part of “Passagen”, the supporting programme of the International Furniture Fair in Cologne. Mondi Possibili (January 15 – March 17, 2007), Monika Sprüth Philomene Magers, Cologne. January 16, 2007.
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