Ride the Wild: Oehlen West Wool - Lévy Gorvy
  • Franz West' sculpture Untitled (large sculpture with can), 2010

    Franz West. Untitled (large sculpture with can), 2010. Papier mâché, styrofoam, acrylic lacquer, can. 52 x 41 x 37 3/8 inches (132 x 104 x 95 cm). Private Collection. © Archiv Franz West, © Estate Franz West

Ride the Wild: Oehlen West WoolExhibitions

London
October 2 - November 28, 2019

 

Opening Reception:

Wednesday, October 2, 6-9PM

Ride the Wild: Oehlen West Wool

Ride the Wild explores the relationship between three renegades of the European and American avant-garde: Albert Oehlen, Franz West, and Christopher Wool. These artists were shaped by the radical urban scenes of their youths—post-punk Berlin, Actionist Vienna, and No Wave New York—and subsequently became key progenitors of the ‘punk’ sensibility now prevalent in contemporary art. Ride the Wild will consider their shared emphasis on practical and formal dissent, inherited from their respective backgrounds and developed in ways that resonate yet remain unique. Taking a rare installation by Oehlen, Untitled (2005), as its starting point, and featuring landmark works from the 1980s to the present day, the exhibition marks the first instance Oehlen (b. 1954), West (1947–2012), and Wool (b. 1955) will be exclusively presented together.

Exclusively during Frieze week, Oehlen’s seminal installation Untitled (2005), will be on view for the first time in the United Kingdom. This work is a replica of the artist’s bedroom in Cologne, complete with yellow wallpaper, a carpet, a bed, and a potted plant. Personal artefacts litter the space: a record player and hi-fi system with LPs sit next to a bright orange set of hot plates and a small macchinetta coffee maker. In the bed, even the artist is present; a painted self-portrait lays tucked under the covers, a phantom hand poking out from under the duvet, clutching a paintbrush. Shifting attention from painterly compositions to a space associated with their creator, the installation gives the viewer a glimpse of the artist’s life. The stacked records reflect his interest in music and a poster on the wall indicates a previous exhibition at the Secession in Vienna. Yet turning to the bed, the self-portrait inverts this scene, bringing the viewer back to the undermining forces of satire and parody ubiquitous in Oehlen’s work. This unique installation was originally exhibited at Galeria Juana de Aizpuru in Madrid and has accompanied his recent retrospectives at mumok, Vienna; the New Museum, New York; and Palazzo Grassi, Venice.

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Selected Works

  • Franz West's sculpture Römische Allüre, 1984-85

    Franz West
    Römische Allüre
    1984-85
    Metal, plaster, gauze, papier mâché and paint
    3 parts:
    78 3/4 x 19 11/16 x 9 13/16 inches (200 x 50 x 25 cm)
    73 1/4 x 19 11/16 x 9 13/16 inches (186 x 50 x 25 cm)
    48 x 19 1/2 x 12 3/16 inches (122 x 49.5 x 31 cm)
    Friedrich Christian Flick Collection im Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin
    © Archiv Franz West, © Estate Franz West

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  • Franz West' sculpture Untitled (large sculpture with can), 2010

    Franz West.
    Untitled (large sculpture with can),
    2010.
    Papier mâché, styrofoam, acrylic lacquer, can.
    52 x 41 x 37 3/8 inches (132 x 104 x 95 cm).
    Private Collection.
    © Archiv Franz West, © Estate Franz West

    Inquire

Selected Press

Brooklyn Rail | Albert Oehlen

November 11, 2019

During the week of Frieze Art Fair, London was inundated with great exhibitions. Not only in the fair …

Robb Report | Banksy Shocks Again as His Chimp Parliament Painting Sells for $12 Million at Sotheby’s

October 10, 2019

Oehlen is also the subject of an exhibition at the Serpentine Galleries in London that opened earlier …

The Art Newspaper | Frieze returns to safe haven of painting amid threat of recession and political instability

October 10, 2019

This week, painting exhibitions around London include Mark Bradford at Hauser & Wirth and Peter Doig …

Art News | $12.2 M. Banksy Sets Record at $67.3 M. Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Sale in London

October 4, 2019

Oehlen is also the subject of an exhibition at the Serpentine Galleries in London that opened earlier …

New York Times | Brexit? What Brexit? The Art World Carries On Unfazed at Frieze London

October 4, 2019

Britain might be convulsed by Brexit, but the contemporary art world, and the 0.1 percent of the population …

Artdaily | Exhibition explores the relationship between three renegades of the European and American avant-garde

October 4, 2019

Lévy Gorvy is presenting Ride the Wild, an exhibition exploring the relationship between three renegades …

The Art Newspaper | Buyer's guide to...Albert Oehlen

October 4, 2019

With an exhibition opening today at the Serpentine Gallery and commercial shows at Max Hetzler and Lévy …

Financial Times | Business as usual for Sotheby’s auctions in Hong Kong

October 1, 2019

Ride the Wild explores the relationship between three renegades of the European and American avant-garde: …

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