John Baldessari sculpture - Ear Sofa and Nose Sconce
Ear Sofa and Nose Sconces, 2009
synthetic rubber, foam, resin, and wood
ear sofa: 54 x 108 x 54 inches (137 x 274 x 137 cm)
nose sconce: 36 x 18 x 18 inches (91 x 46 x 46 cm)
edition of 6
Ear Sofa and Nose Sconce, by John Baldessari, comprises a massive white leather ear resting on its side, and two ceramic noses, mounted upside-down behind the ear. These elements operate simultaneously as sculptural forms and functional objects, blurring the boundaries between those distinctions in characteristic Baldessari fashion. The ear provides a comfortable, sofa-like surface on which to rest or recline, while the nostrils of the upended noses can be used as flower vases.
The work was originally produced for a 2009 show at the Museum Haus Lange in Krefeld, Germany that Baldessari conceived of as “contra-Mies,” and indeed the anthropomorphic sofa and sconces seem the antithesis of the Bauhaus master’s rectilinear aesthetic and emphasis on functionality. In its second installation, at Sprüth Magers London later that year, Ear Sofa and Nose Sconce was the centerpiece of Baldessari’s first-ever “tableau vivant.”
Exhibited
Brick bldg, lg windows w/ xlent views, partially furnished, renowned architect, Museum Haus Lange, Krefeld, Germany, 2009
Ear Sofa Nose Sconces with Flowers (In Stage Setting), Sprüth Magers, London, 2009
Art Basel Unlimited, Basel, Switzerland, 2017
About the Artist
John Baldessari (b. 1931, National City, CA) attended San Diego State University and did post-graduate work at Otis Art Institute, Chouinard Art Institute and the University of California at Berkeley. He taught at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA from 1970 - 1988 and the University of California at Los Angeles from 1996 - 2007.
Baldessari's artwork has been featured in more than 200 solo exhibitions and in over 1000 group exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe. His practice also includes artist books, videos, films, billboards and public works. Recent projects include the traveling career retrospective John Baldessari: Pure Beauty (2009-2011), and release of the John Baldessari Catalogue Raisonné, Volumes 1-3, with Yale University Press.