The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art’s  exhibition of the provocative Ed Kienholz installation Five Car Stud (1969-1972) closed this past weekend.  

Originally, attempts to exhibit Five Car Stud at the end of the 1960s at Los Angeles County Museum of Art in what was then Kienholz’ home town were unsuccessful; instead the work was shown at the legendary Documenta V exhibition in Kassel in Germany in 1972 where it was a sensation. The  the reception in Kassel, and the disappointment with what Kienholz saw as a lack of courage in American society  to confront and tackle very serious social and ethnic conflicts, prompted him to move to Europe. Now – after all these years – the work is at Louisiana which has a long history with Kienholz. Three of his works are in the museum collection and the museum showed a major exhibition of his works in 1979. Therefore it is only natural for Louisiana to help ensure the work a well-deserved transatlantic renaissance.

Indeed, the museum worked diligently to ensure that Five Car Stud received it’s due “transatlantic renaissance.” 

A new installation of Ed and Nancy Reddin Kienholz’s infamous work, with an equally compelling history and rebellious iconography, The Ozymandias Parade, will be on display at The Pace Gallery (New York) November 2 - December 22, 2012.  We look forward to seeing this work along side Ed Kienholz’s Concept Tableaux.