NYAB Event - Franz Erhard Walther Exhibition

Franz Erhard Walther Exhibition

Peter Freeman

This event has ended.

Peter Freeman, Inc. presents the representation of Franz Erhard Walther and his first solo exhibition in America in almost twenty years. The show is devoted to the artist's early works from the 1960s, most of which were created when Waltherlived in New York City from 1967 to 1971.

The exhibition presents four elements from Walther's "1.Werksatz" ("First Set of Works"), aseries of fifty-eight canvas objects intended for use. Each work in the series – whether a kilometer-long cord meant to be unrolled, a bag with pockets in which to collect objects while walking, or a padded curtain hanging in a doorway through which the visitor must pass – draws attention to the body as sculptural form by guiding the participants through specific actions. When several works from the group were shown in Harald Szeemann's seminal exhibition "When Attitudes Become Form" (1968), Walther noted: "These objects are only instruments, they have little perceptual significance. The objects are important only through the possibilities originating from their use."

The works presented at Peter Freeman, Inc. span the entirety of Walther's early production, beginning with his first participatory piece: "Two Cardboard Rolls (Piece to Overcome Embarrassment)" (1962), which consists of tubes meant to be handled. In "Connection (Head)" (1967), two viewers place their heads through a single piece of canvas, while facing each other. In "Plinth, Four Areas" (1969), participants stand in the corners of a canvas block, pulling it taut.In addition, sixteen related watercolors from 1963 to 1969 will be on view.

Walther studied at the Düsseldorf Academy in the early 1960s under K.O. Götz. There, he became close to Joseph Beuys, as well as his peers Gerhard Richter and Blinky Palermo. In 1970, he was included in Jennifer Licht's "SPACES" exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, with Michael Asher, Dan Flavin, Larry Bell, and Robert Morris. He has exhibited internationally for over 40 years, with numerous one-person shows at venues including the Sprengel Museum, Hanover; Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven; and Mies van der RoheHaus, Berlin. A major retrospective of Walther's work opens on 17 February 2010 at Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Geneva.