Foreword by Frances Morris. Introduction by Mark Godfrey and Christine Macel. Texts by Monika Bayer-Wermuth, Christine Macel, Martin Prinzhorn, and Mark Godfrey

An anarchic free spirit, self-taught until the age of thirty, Franz West remained in the shadows of the Viennese art scene for nearly fifteen years before becoming known in the international art world in the 1980s. Today he is regarded as a pivotal figure of contemporary art, whose work continues to inspire younger artists. West's output ranged from lumpy papier mâché objects to installations of divans for viewers to lounge on, from painted collages to outdoor sculptures shaped like intestines and turds. It was at once popular and esoteric, active and contemplative, corporeal and intellectual, philosophical and playful.

West produced thousands of works over forty years, and this fully illustrated catalogue provides a remarkable picture of the artist's exceptionally rich career. Further insight into West's practice is provided through essays by Mark Godfrey, Christine Macel and Martin Prinzhorn, an illustrated chronology, and some thirty previously unpublished testimonies from close associates and friends of the artist, from Kasper König to Bice Curiger and Sarah Lucas.