abstract
AIC
american art
art institute of chicago
assmeblage
Category=AB
Category=AFKB
Category=AGB
coffee table book
constructions
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
exhibition catalogue
playful
postwar
quirky
Product details
- ISBN 9780300282016
- Dimensions: 222 x 286mm
- Publication Date: 22 Apr 2025
- Publisher: Art Institute of Chicago
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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A new consideration of the playful and unsettling sculptures of H. C. Westermann, guiding figure of American conceptualism and craft
An acrobat, carpenter, railroad repairman, and two-time naval war veteran, sculptor H. C. Westermann (1922–1981) rose to prominence in Chicago in the 1950s with new forms inspired by his personal experiences. This overdue reassessment of an understudied artist includes stunning new photographs of Westermann’s intricate and exceptionally crafted sculptures throughout his career. New essays by Giampaolo Bianconi and Thea Liberty Nichols explore his nonconformist attitudes about masculinity and his intense response to the horrors of war—a recurring theme in Westermann’s sculpture following his return from service in the Korean War—as well as his experiments with wordplay, connection to conceptualism, and astonishing contributions to American art. An interview with artist Ed Ruscha, who knew and admired Westermann and his attention to craft, gives context to Westermann’s complex role as an unpretentious father figure to American conceptual and pop artists.
Distributed for the Art Institute of Chicago
Exhibition Schedule:
Art Institute of Chicago
(May 17, 2025–May 17, 2026)
An acrobat, carpenter, railroad repairman, and two-time naval war veteran, sculptor H. C. Westermann (1922–1981) rose to prominence in Chicago in the 1950s with new forms inspired by his personal experiences. This overdue reassessment of an understudied artist includes stunning new photographs of Westermann’s intricate and exceptionally crafted sculptures throughout his career. New essays by Giampaolo Bianconi and Thea Liberty Nichols explore his nonconformist attitudes about masculinity and his intense response to the horrors of war—a recurring theme in Westermann’s sculpture following his return from service in the Korean War—as well as his experiments with wordplay, connection to conceptualism, and astonishing contributions to American art. An interview with artist Ed Ruscha, who knew and admired Westermann and his attention to craft, gives context to Westermann’s complex role as an unpretentious father figure to American conceptual and pop artists.
Distributed for the Art Institute of Chicago
Exhibition Schedule:
Art Institute of Chicago
(May 17, 2025–May 17, 2026)
Giampaolo Bianconi is associate curator of modern and contemporary art at the Art Institute of Chicago.
