Franz West, Maulschelle (Slap in the Face), 1980, lacquer and dispersion on gauze, wire, wood, and can lid, 3 7⁄8 × 30 3⁄8 × 4 3⁄4".
One of the most innovative and influential artists of his generation, Franz West (1947–2012) was born and raised in postwar Vienna. Known for a rebellious nature, well aware of Viennese Actionist happenings but more inspired by the experimental writers of the Wiener Gruppe, West was shaped by an interest in Wittgenstein’s philosophy, Freud’s psychoanalysis, and the linguistic games of his literary friends.
This inclusive exhibition of early works, curated by Peter Pakesch (the former gallerist who was instrumental in bringing West to broader attention), features more than seventy sculptures, works on paper, and paintings, most created between 1973 and 1992, the year West gained international recognition with his acclaimed seating installation at Documenta 9. The earliest work, Aspekt, 1973–74, a brown monochromatic painting with symbolic stickers attached, playfully combines Pop art and Minimalism, while a related example of his “Objektbilder” (object pictures), Sockenbild (Sock Picture), ca. 1974, incorporates a pair of socks clipped with clothespins to a wooden surface, tempting viewers to try them on for size.
West’s intriguing Namensbild (name picture) pieces from the 1970s and ’80s, imitating signatures of anonymous friends such as Fritz and Margit in white stylized script on textured-white backgrounds, are shown alongside an untitled 1981 collage of collected autographs from influential artist friends—including VALIE EXPORT, Gerhard Rühm, and Daniel Spoerri—on scraps of paper pasted onto red-and-white wrapping paper, forming a kind of concrete poem. These works are complemented by more than a dozen of the artist’s celebrated Passstücke (adaptive pieces)—assemblages of found objects roughly covered in gauze and plaster, designed for handling or wearing rather than being placed on pedestals.
Several Labstück (lab piece) sculptures from the same period consist of glass bottles covered in papier-mâché and plaster, yet they remain functional for drinking. Requiring more physical and psychological interaction, the pieces called Maulschelle, which means “slap in the face,” resemble plaster-covered paddles with a handle on one end, connected by wire, and a flat surface on the other—perhaps inspired by the rejection the young West faced until Pakesch took up his cause. A striking relief piece, Idiosyngramm (Characteristic Ideogram), 1985, reflects renewed interest in Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and other radical Vienna Secession artists. Featuring a stretched, concentric line made with gold leaf, gauze, and papier-mâché on cardboard, it represents the dislike of Klimt’s decorative art that West shared with Austrian Expressionist Richard Gerstl, whose work had been dismissed as “piss in the snow” by one of his professors.
West’s collaborative works, prominently featured in the show, highlight his interest in engaging with artists from both the present and the past. Kollega (Colleague), 1988, along with other organically shaped papier-mâché sculptures from that year, marked the beginning of West’s addition of color to his formerly white works (with the help of Herbert Brandl and others) as well as of his use of plinths, sometimes featuring text. Ohne Titel (mit Heimo Zobernig, Herbert Brandl, Otto Zitko), 1988, is a group of collaborative sculptures and a painting that are either placed on pedestals or, ironically, have the pedestals placed on them.
The sculptural furniture pieces in the show include a plaster-coated, scroll-like desk with a glass top and painted surface—created for Pakesch’s gallery office with a board salvaged from a 1982 Hermann Nitsch action. Another work is a stripped-down steel chair on a piece of painted wood with instructions inviting viewers to sit on it in the nude, ingeniously turning the uncomfortable spectator into a piece of classical art. Completing the presentation, enigmatic collages featuring media images on expressively painted newspapers pay homage to influential figures such as Jean Cocteau and Viennese gallerist Rosemarie Schwarzwälder. They are displayed alongside collages of nude figures playfully interacting with West’s artworks and one another. Finally, editioned prints resembling posters for museum and gallery exhibitions make the provocative survey look like a retrospective without actually being one. Whatever the means he chose, his blurring of boundaries between art and life remains relevant today.
