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| Westermann, a native of Germany, came to the United States in the early 1980s, and in 1985 joined the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program. Previous studies in architecture and urban planning took place at the Gasamthochschule in Kassel, Germany. She earned a master's degree at the Köln Kunsthochschule. She has taught architectural design at Roger Williams University. Her art has been seen throughout Europe and the United States, including exhibitions at the Freiburg Museum of Contemporary Art in Germany, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and the Brooklyn Museum.
In this large installation piece Barbara Westermann has created a simple, but extremely meaningful, piece. The small objects in this installation, which are lined up into a triangle shape, look similar to indigenous architecture or possibly have the feeling of primitive tools. Their size might indicate that they are each miniature models of things that are going to be built. Just a cone on top of a half circle, they are extremely simple shapes, which are, in part, a reference to something that is uncomplicated. In this piece, Westermann pays a small homage to the typically positive associations one usually has to “home,” whatever that may be defined as. In the idea of home one usually finds feelings of simplicity and serenity. She has used a form that is peaceful and minimal, wanting the viewer to find in her sculpture a place where the soul can rest. In contrast to the late 1980s art that was conceived at the same time and meant to evoke an extreme emotion from the viewer, Westermann’s sculpture elicits an emotional reaction from a different perspective, and, perhaps, a more calming one.  (For Grades 3-5) What do these shapes look like to you? Why do you think they are the size they are? What could they possibly represent? How do you feel when you look at his artwork? Why? What do you think this artwork is made out of? What do you think it would feel like if you touched it? Why do you think Westermann wanted people to walk through her installation? How does walking through it change the experience? |
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Barbara Westermann Germany, born 1958 Westwall Part II: Migration concrete sculpture installation, 1989 Gift of the artist 1989.17 |
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