‘Re-View: Onnasch Collection’ Hauser & Wirth London, Savile Row + Piccadilly 20th September – 14th December 2013
www.hauserwirth.com
This autumn the Hauser & Wirth Gallery hosts the exceptionally rich private collection of Reinhard Onnasch; the German/American gallerist and collector (b. 1939 in Germany). The Review: Onnasch Collection, curated by Paul Schimmel, demonstrates the individual’s talent and passion for art collecting; the assortment of pieces on show here are surprisingly iconic, fulfilling a checklist of the most important artistic movements of the 20th century. The rooms are littered with canonical names and pieces forming an interesting exhibitional space. Reinhard Onnasch’s intense commitment to eclectic, personal American art is blatant within the walls of the Hauser & Wirth rooms, despite being separated into three venues, as each space boasts fantastical works; the sublime canvasses of Abstract Expressionism, the vulgar horrors of post-war sculpture and the quirky investigations of Pop, all juxtaposed to the purity of the Colourfield paintings.
Claus Oldenberg ‘Model for a Mahogany Plug’ (1969), Edward Kienholz ‘The Future as an Afterthought’ (1962) & Morris Louis ‘Gamma Tau’ (1960)
Review begins in the Piccadilly Rooms, which specifically look towards the quasi-area between cinema, sculpture and performance, such as Robert Raushenberg’s ‘Pilgrim’ (1960): a classic example that encapsulates the fluidity of Assemblage. The centerpiece of this room however is the disturbing social sculpture by Edward Kienholz ‘Future as an Afterthought’ (1962) that uses found-objects such as baby dolls and pedals, to excite the horror, destruction and senselessness of nuclear war by assembling them into a striking sculpture in the silhouette of a mushroom cloud. This piece is dark and provoking, a feeling that resonates throughout the entire gallery space.
The further rooms, at Saville Row, are equally riveting, but offer a less emotional spectator experience. The North and South Galleries assert monumental Abstract Expressionist or Colourfield paintings, Conceptual Sculptures and funky Pop pieces. These rooms form a stunning timeline of American Art (1950’s – 1990’s). After the abstraction and colour shown in the North Gallery, such as Ad Reinhardt and Frank Stella, the most notable pieces of the South Room are Claus Oldenberg’s huge sculptures that express the contemporary fascination with pop culture and mass production. The finale to the exhibition is ‘Do it” (1983) by Richard Serra, a legend of Minimalism; two massive steel plates balance precariously in the corner of the room. “Do It” speaks of physical volume, geometric abstraction and accentuates the viewer’s preoccupation with the flat surface in a gallery space. 
The South Gallery : [left to right] Robert Raushenberg, Richard Serra and Richard Hamilton
There are also three exciting talks coming up in November and December at Hauser and Wirth with a fantastic range of speakers. With the large number of exhibitions on at the moment about American Post-War Art these talks are dealing with a hugely relevant subject.
‘THE BROKEN TOY SCHOOL’ TALK AND SCREENING ON EDWARD KEINHOLZ
Monday 18th November, 6:30pm
‘THE PRESENCE OF ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS IN THE UK’
Thursday 28th November, 6 – 7:30pm
‘DINE AND OLDENBERG IN THE SIXTIES: HANDS ON’
Wednesday 11th December, 7pm
All events are free but booking is required, for more information visit = www.hauserwirth.com
To RSVP, email rsvp@hauserwirth.com, listing the event name in the subject line
– words by Kimberley Brown
