The Swiss-born contemporary artist Urs Fischer opens a sweeping new exhibition at Los Angeles's Museum of Contemporary Art on Sunday. The works in the show illustrate Fischer's breadth as an artist: from his iconic 1940s-inspired portrait with a lemon on top (Problem Painting, 2012), to giant wax sculptures. And his processes are equally complex: sculptures are made by an aluminum casting process, hewn in wood, and then cast in wax. The surreal works in the show -- all from the last decade -- represent the artist's macabre, off-kilter view of reality. The exhibition (the artist's first comprehensive museum retrospective) will be shown between MOCA's Grand Avenue and Geffen Contemporary spaces through August.
Problem Painting, 2012Milled aluminum panel, acrylic primer, gesso, acrylic ink, spray enamel, acrylic silkscreen medium, acrylic paint142 x 106 x 1 in. (360 x 270 x 2.5 cm)Private Collection
Urs Fischer
Untitled, 2011Wax, pigments, wicks, steelGiambologna sculpture: 57 7/8 x 57 7/8 x 248 1/8 in. (147 x 147 x 630 cm) Rudi portrait: 19 1/4 x 27 1/8 x 77 1/2 in. (49 x 69 x 197 cm)Office chair: 30 3/4 x 28 3/8 x 45 5/8 in. (78 x 72 x 116 cm)Installation dimensions variableEdition 1 of 2 & 1 APCollection Maja HoffmannInstallation view, “ILLUMInazioni / ILLUMInations,” Venice Biennale, 2011
Urs Fischer
Horses Dream of Horses, 2004Plaster, resin paint, steel, nylon filamentDimensions variable: 1,500 raindrops, each up to 6 3/4 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 in. (17 x 7 x 7 cm)
Urs Fischer
Urs Fischer and various artists, Untitled, 2011–ongoingUnfired clay (sculptures modeled on-site by multiple authors following a list of objects specified by the artist)Dimensions variableInstallation view, Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, with participation by the students of the Accademia as part of “Madame Fisscher,” Palazzo Grassi, Venice, 2012
Urs Fischer
Untitled (detail), 2007Aluminum panels, transparent primer, vinyl paint, pigments, silicone, screws Panel 1: 132 1/8 x 177 x 3 1/8 in. (336 x 450 x 8 cm)Panel 2: 135 x 175 x 3 1/8 in. (343 x 445 x 8 cm)Panel 3: 142 x 183 x 3 1/8 in. (361 x 465 x 8 cm)The Brant Foundation, Greenwich, CT
Urs Fischer
TWO WORKS ARE PICTURED IN A SINGLE PHOTO:Skelett, 1996Bricks, cement, unfired clay Dimensions variablePrivate collection© Urs Fischer. Courtesy of the artistUntitled (50 Rocks), 1996 50 found river rocks Dimensions variable Private collection © Urs Fischer. Courtesy of the artist
Urs Fischer
KITTINGER / ZAWACKI / YUTZY (detail), 2012Silkscreen print on mirror-glass, UV-adhesive, aluminum3 parts:Clothespin: 5 1/8 x 3 7/8 x 23 1/4 in. (13.1 x 9.7 x 59 cm)Dollar bill: 15 1/2 x 1 5/8 x 6 3/4 in. (39.4 x 4 x 17.2 cm)Tic Tac: 15 3/4 x 6 1/8 x 25 1/4 in. (40 x 15.4 x 64 cm)AP of Edition of 3 & 1 APPrivate collection
Urs Fischer
The Grass Munchers, 2007Cast aluminum, pigments, wax22 x 24 3/8 x 17 3/8 in. (56 x 62 x 44 cm)Edition 2 of 2 & 1 APPrivate collection
Urs Fischer
Lie to a Dog, 2005Cast nickel silver, acrylic paint, cheese20 7/8 x 17 3/4 x 8 1/4 in. (53 x 45 x 21 cm)Private collection
Urs Fischer
Skinny Afternoon, 2003Cast aluminum, mirror, lacquer paint, acrylic paint, polyurethane foam, screws78 3/4 x 63 x 47 1/4 in. (200 x 160 x 120 cm)Private collectionInstallation view, “Dreams and Conflicts: The Dictatorship of the Viewer,” Venice Biennale, 2003
Urs Fischer
Untitled (Bread House), 2004–2005Bread, bread crumbs, wood, polyurethane foam, silicone, acrylic paint, screws, tape, rugs, theater spotlights159 7/8 x 146 1/2 x 165 3/4 in. (406 x 372 x 421 cm)The Brant Foundation, Greenwich, CT© Urs Fischer. Courtesy of the artist and Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York
Urs Fischer
Untitled (Nude on a Table), 2002Two-component polyurethane foam, cardboard, polystyrene, polyurethane foam, tape, screws, powder
Urs Fischer
