Franz West: Privat

A tribute to the Actionist-inspired artist celebrated for his ironic, vibrant sculptures, furniture and large-scale works

This landmark catalog was born from a collaboration among four collectors. Each sifted through their own holdings to curate an exhibition of the works of Austrian sculptor and conceptual artist Franz West (1947–2012). Accompanying the exhibition, this catalog features more than 400 works from West, distinguishing itself as the most comprehensive monograph on the artist to date. In the volume, West’s irreverent and playful oeuvre is well represented, featuring his early collage works on paper and his late abstract found-object sculptures and punk furniture pieces. Privat also features several texts that both illuminate underexplored facets from the artist’s transgressive practice and unearth delightful anecdotes about the artist’s eccentric nature. Thomas Trummer, director of Kunsthaus Bregenz, traces the influence of Freud and Joyce in West’s early works; Austrian artist Heimo Zobernig recounts West’s awkward run-in with the queen of the Netherlands.