New
Franz West and Vienna [2026] Engl.
Publication accompanying the exhibition at the Wien Museum (November 6, 2026 – May 2, 2027)
Year of release:
2026
ISBN: 978-3-7533-1121-0
34.00 €
Including VAT, excluding shipping
Description
“My studio is in the 3rd district, but I sleep in the 17th.” – Franz WestIn 1992, Franz West made his daily journeys between home and studio the subject of the installation 3 oder 17 (3 or 17), from which this book takes its subtitle. It underscores how closely his work was bound up
with Vienna: his art was not only made in the city but also reflected his relationship with it. It was in Vienna that West developed the Adaptives (Passstücke), sculptures, and furniture that would bring him international recognition. The city also provided much of the material that fed into his art: Viennese Modernism and the Secession, Freud and Wittgenstein, the local art scene—from the Fantastic Realists to the Vienna Actionists—as
well as galleries, taverns, cafés, and the local dialect. Vienna’s imprint can already be seen in his earliest works, produced at the beginning of the 1970s. The publication follows this thread through the artist‘s life and work: family and friendships, early exhibitions, artistic networks, historical precedents, and his various studios come together to form a portrait of the artist and his Viennese milieu. Drawing on new research, historical documents, numerous illustrations, and West’s own words, the book reveals just how deeply Vienna permeates Franz West’s work.
Reading Sample
Judith Nicka-Stöckl & Vincent Weisl
English
Willi Schmid
240 pages, 17 x 22.8 cm
Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, Köln
