The Plush

1963-1964

Horace Clifford Westermann

Associated Names
H.C. Westermann

Sculptor, American, 1922 - 1981

The sculpture has a large upright circular form with a textured surface, placed on a cylindrical green stand. The colors used are mainly green and brown with the circular part having a brown, fibrous texture while the stand and base are bright green. The base is square and mounted on wheels. The materials used seem synthetic, possibly including textured fabric or fibrous materials. The sculpture appears to have a tactile and visually dense quality. The overall structure appears utilitarian with a heavy base and central support.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    cotton pile shag carpet with latex backing, cast iron, paint, wood, and metal casters

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Gift of Samuel J. Wagstaff, Jr.)

  • Dimensions

    overall: 149.8 × 73.7 × 53.3 cm (59 × 29 × 21 in.)
    gross weight: 34.02 kg (75 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    2014.136.287

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Allan Frumkin, New York), at least in 1967;[1] (Rolf G. Nelson, Los Angeles), at least in 1968-1969;[2] Samuel J. Wagstaff, Jr. [1921-1987], New York, by 1976; gift 1979 to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; acquired 2014 by the National Gallery of Art.
[1] Frumkin lent the sculpture to an exhibition that was shown in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, April to October 1967.
[2] Nelson lent the sculpture to an exhibition that was shown in Los Angeles and Chicago, November 1968 to March 1969.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1967

  • American Sculpture of the Sixties, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1967, no. 154, repro.

1968

  • H.C. Westermann, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 1968-1969, no. 24, repro.

1978

  • H.C.W [H.C. Westermann], Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1978, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

1980

  • H.C. Westermann, Serpentine Gallery, London, 1980-1981, no. 10, repro.

1988

  • H.C. Westermann: Sculpture and Drawing, Lennon, Weinberg, Inc., New York, 1988, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

1999

  • The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-2000, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1999-2000.

2019

  • H.C. Westermann: Goin' Home, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, 2019, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

Inscriptions

stamped in center of rolling base: FRONT; stamped on underside of rolling base: H.C. WESTERMANN / CONN. 1963-64 / THE PLUSH

Wikidata ID

Q63864035

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