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The Mysteriously Abandoned New Home

A work made of pine, birch, vermillion, redwood, glass, paint, and wheels.
© Estate of H.C. Westermann / Licensed by VAGA at ARS, New York

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  • A work made of pine, birch, vermillion, redwood, glass, paint, and wheels.

Date:

1958

Artist:

H. C. Westermann
American, 1922-1981

About this artwork

American printmaker and sculptor H. C. Westermann became known in the 1960s for playfully subversive works of art often made from found objects. The artist borrowed strategies from his Dadaist and Surrealist predecessors and created an oeuvre that defies stylistic definition and classification. This sculpture is characteristic of Westermann’s exceptional carpentry skills. When describing The Mysteriously Abandoned New Home, Westermann wrote of the large octagonal canopy over a merry-go-round at Chicago’s Riverview Amusement Park. The work is also reminiscent of the octagonal architectural forms that were popular in the United States in the 19th century.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

H. C. Westermann

Title

The Mysteriously Abandoned New Home

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1958

Medium

Pine, birch, vermillion, redwood, glass, paint, and wheels

Dimensions

212.3 × 57.4 × 55.2 cm (83 5/8 × 22 5/8 × 21 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Lewis Manilow

Reference Number

1962.905

Copyright

© Estate of H.C. Westermann / Licensed by VAGA at ARS, New York

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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