Curated by Stephanie Rosenthal

Too often referred to simply as “the ketchup guy,” Paul McCarthy has, over some three and a half decades, constructed a complicated, multifaceted oeuvre. By testing the limits of sculpture, painting, and performance, he inaugurated a strain of West Coast art-making deeply rooted in the messy terrain of abjection and cultural critique. McCarthy’s appearance in the vast Haus der Kunst marks his largest European appearance to date; in addition to two new installations focused on cowboys and pirates, the exhibition includes more than one hundred videos, drawings, and sculptures that span his career. An accompanying catalogue, with essays by John Welchman, Elisabeth Bronfen, and the curator, as well as a story by Benjamin Weissman, promises to posit McCarthy as the boss—of more than just burgers.

— Johanna Burton