Richard Artschwager

Richard Artschwager was born in 1923 in Washington DC. He studied chemistry, biology and mathematics at Cornell University, following which he studied with Amédée Ozenfant, one of the pioneers of abstraction. In the fifties, he worked as a furniture maker, but after a fire in the studio he started making sculptures from his remaining (industrial) materials. 
These were followed by paintings, installations and photographic work. Artschwager is a versatile craftsman, not only in many disciplines and materials, but also in various 'styles'. He is a true chameleon, who does not want to be trapped in one (successful) form of expression. 
The thread running through his work is a penchant for a somewhat surreal form and content, but even in this he is not consistent – as demonstrated by his recent pastel drawings, which once again do not resemble anything from his previous work. His intangibility has played tricks on him, particularly in the world of conceptualists and minimalists. The stricter they proclaimed reduction, the freer Artschwager appeared in following his own path. His most indefinable hybrid work consists of a group of crates, which poke fun at the overstrained side effects that seem to define the art/museum practice. Here, the crates and the artworks are united. After all, aren't they beautifully made?