Franz west style series#

This spirit of collaboration lasted throughout his career, and before his death in 2012 he worked extensively with contemporary artist Sarah Lucas.

Franz west style series#

Living in Vienna in the 70s and 80s, the figure immersed himself in the city’s artistic café culture, passing through bouts of drinking and drug-taking, getting into fights.įurthermore, despite his apparent disdain for the art world, he was deeply respectful of many fellow artists, often working with others on series of works. And yet in many ways, West himself was a caricature of a stereotypical artist. The subject’s works are powerful, even in their silliness, undermining artworld conventions – some pieces are intended to be touched or sat upon, and the relationship between sculpture and plinth is inverted. Put together in an exhibition, these elements create an intriguing encounter with insouciance, playfulness and pathos.

Whenever he made a sculpture, he turned not to bronze or marble, but to empty alcohol bottles, old washing machines and primary-school materials like papier mâché and cardboard. Whenever he was asked to place work outside, he mocked the conventions of monumental sculpture and created luridly coloured works inspired by turds (Tate’s word, not mine). Whenever he was invited to show work at an institution or large gallery, he insisted on making a poster for the event himself, using the crassest hand-written typography. Franz West spent his career poking fun at artists and at the art world.