Westermann’s Table

Copied H. C. Westermann, Westermann's Table, 1966, Douglas-fir plywood, Masonite, leather-bound books, bolt, brass nut, paint, and graphite, 442323 12 in. (111.858.459.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2002.51

Artwork Details

Title
Westermann’s Table
Date
1966
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
442323 12 in. (111.858.459.7 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
Douglas-fir plywood, Masonite, leather-bound books, bolt, brass nut, paint, and graphite
Classifications
Keywords
  • Object — written matter — book
  • Object — furniture — table
Object Number
2002.51

Artwork Description

Westermann was a short, muscular veteran of World War II and Korea whose comic sculptures showed his anger at America's militarism and the lies of politicians. In Westermann's Table, institutional gray paint coats the leaves of books on state laws and clipper ships, and a large bolt secures the volumes, suggesting a locked-down history of the nation. The pressure of the bolt squeezes the books into the plywood pedestal, creating a surreal portrait of the artist as an angry and well-informed man ready to explode.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006