ARTSCHWAGER, RICHARD
1924 Washington - 2013 Albany/N.Y.

Title: "Handle III (Diptych)".
Date: 1980.
Technique: Resopal and wood, metal handle and hinges.
Measurement: 120 x 145,5 x 8cm.
Notation: Titled, signed and dated verso: Handle III (Diptych) Artschwager `80.


Provenance:
- Leo Castelli Gallery, New York
- Linda Macklowe, New York
- Daniel Weinberg Collection, San Francisco
- Private collection USA (through descent)
- Leo Koenig Inc, New York (label)
- Private collection USA
- Kasper König Collection, Berlin

Exhibitions:
- Ambach & Rice, Los Angeles 2013/14
- Leo Koenig Inc, New York 2022

Beginnings in Munich
Born in Washington, D.C., the son of a botanist and an artist, Artschwager grew up in the spectrum of science and art. At the age of eight, he accompanied his mother to Munich for a year, where she studied at the academy. His studies of natural sciences were interrupted by his enlistment in the US Army and were not completed until 1948. This was followed by studies in painting with the French artist Amedée Ozenfant in New York. In order to make a living, Artschwager established himself as a cabinetmaker for furniture and later for altars, whose influence on his later art is evident.

International reception of the works
Artschwager's works complement the discourse on the concept of sculpture in the 1960s, which is also reflected in the art historical reception. His first group exhibitions in 1964 were followed a year later by his first solo exhibition at Leo Castelli. In 1969, he was invited by Harald Szeemann for the exhibition "Live In Your Head: When Attitudes Become Form" and presented three years later at documenta 5, curated by Szeemann. In total, Artschwager exhibited his works at five documentas and in 1976, together with other artists, he participated in the American Pavilion at the 37th Venice Biennale.

Ambivalence
"Handle III" is a continuation of the concept of combining furniture elements with artistic objects, which is reminiscent of a misappropriated cabinet. A pyramid shape running towards the back in the middle of the work contrasts with the smooth beige surface hanging on the wall like a painting. On the right, a cupboard door can be folded down with a metal handle, although this only covers forty percent of the surface. The artist uses the wood-imitating Formica laminate here, which he consistently favors for his works. Artschwager takes up the classic genre concept for a painting, which thematizes the artistic execution of perspective through the deepening in the middle of the picture. The cupboard door on the right is reminiscent of a wing from an altarpiece, which at the same time, as a functionless cabinet door, reduces an element of furniture to absurdity.