Centre Pompidou Part One

There are so many amazing works of art in the Centre Pompidou in Paris that I couldn’t fit all of them into one post. In part one I’ll be covering the basics of the museum, as well as the Franz West Retrospective that was taking place when I was there.

Franz West is represented by big-name galleries Gagosian and David Zwirner who invested immensely in this exhibition. It’s now on view at The Tate from February 20th - June 2nd, 2019.

“The works on view demonstrate the full breadth of West’s oeuvre, beginning with rarely seen drawings from the early 1970s and his first Passstücke (Adaptives)—the sculptures for which he became well known—to his papier-mâché works from the 1980s and Lemurenköpfe (Lemur Heads), made in the 1990s, as well his collages, furniture works, and collaborations with other artists.” - David Zwirner Gallery

Drawings, Paintings

“I’ve always thought that the ideal is to do nothing and still be able to make a living out of it…” - Franz West

Passstücke (Adaptives), Papier-mâché works

“The Adaptives were invented when I started to attend openings and had the displeasure of meeting the hierarchy that governs the gallery univers: they fulfilled my wish to explode idolatry.” - Franz West

Collages‍

“That’s how I imagine art. That is can be combined with the concept of ‘source of inspiration’ (Muse) and the concept of leisure, in the sense of ‘idleness’, and vise versa. I have understood art in this way, coupled to idleness.” - Franz West

‍Furniture Works

“In historic museums (...) you find tables and chairs in the exhibition spaces that are not to be used. I used to ask myself questions like: is that art disguised as furniture or is it furniture disguised as art? (...) Whatever the case, I enjoyed their presence, perhaps as the presence of the trivial in the sublime.” - Franz West

“Franz once said to me: you know, I’m really the only normal human being I know.” - A.Reiter Raabe

For Part Two of my visit to Centre Pompidou, click here.