Furniture sculpture 1990

These couches-as-sculpture were made by John Armleder, who was born in Switzerland in 1948. I'm trying to imagine the gesture of acquisition and placement. How did these couches get here? Are they precious antiques that are to be revered, or kitsch items on their way to the dump? The combination of the slightly clapped-out sofas, set against hard-edged rectangles of color, makes them seem to be on display, as well as maybe being sold... The blocks of color have a coolness which contrasts with the warmth of the couches. These blocks are almost like minimalist paintings. I can feel Armleder nodding to folks like Ellsworth Kelly and Barnett Newman, maybe even Sol LeWitt! There's a painterly generosity in the work of all of these artists, which gives a lot of room for thought. The arrangement of the furniture, with the simple blocks, makes this grouping into a type of stage set, in an ongoing conversation about art and life.