This book was published on the occasion of Richard Artschwager at Gagosian, 555 West 24th Street, New York, the artist’s first solo exhibition with the gallery, which featured two bodies of work, Floor Works and Wall Works. The Floor Works series comprises L- and T-shaped chair forms—dubbed “people surrogates” by Artschwager—that are covered in black-and-white photographic portraits of the artist’s friends and family. The Wall Works are a group of wall-mounted sculptural silhouettes made from painted rubberized hair on Masonite that captures figures in motion; the objects—which occupy a territory somewhere between painting and sculpture—have a distinctive soft appearance and organic texture. Both series embody Artschwager’s ability to conflate the visual world of images and the tactile world of objects.

The catalogue encompasses two hardcover books, one dedicated to each series, including plates and installation photography of the seven Floors Works and fifteen Wall Works, as well as a booklet with an illustrated essay by Lane Relyea, in a chipboard slipcase. In “(With)drawn from Life,” Relyea places the paired series within the context of Artschwager’s oeuvre, paying particular attention to his use of hair, photography, and forms derived from furniture.