Approach    Sideways Steps

Approach Sideways Steps

Franz Erhard Walther
German, born 1939
1968
A set of white fabric forms stored in a simple plywood case that the artist intended to be handled and set in motion, turning viewers into participants.
It reads at first like a plain wooden shelf full of mattress‑like bundles and tied straps—soft, folded cloth compressed into modular units whose taut ties and rumpled surfaces suggest bodies and actions waiting to be released.
Walther's work helped remake sculpture from an inert object into a participatory, performative practice that made viewers co‑creators and opened a path toward body‑based and relational art.
Medium
Fabric
Dimensions
210 1/4 x 5 1/8" (534 x 13 cm)
Classification
Credit
Scott Burton Fund
Accession
1060.2010.47
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
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> 65%
Land Measurement by Drawing 100%

Land Measurement by Drawing

Franz Erhard Walther

1964

Land Measurement by Drawing 100% Franz Erhard Walther 1964 Fabric Sculpture Painting & Sculpture German 1060.2010.6
Eleven Meter Path 100%

Eleven Meter Path

Franz Erhard Walther

1964

Eleven Meter Path 100% Franz Erhard Walther 1964 Fabric Sculpture Painting & Sculpture 21 5/8 x 433 1/16" (55 x 11... German 1060.2010.5
Leg Piece 100%

Leg Piece

Franz Erhard Walther

1964

Leg Piece 100% Franz Erhard Walther 1964 Fabric Sculpture Painting & Sculpture 53 1/8 x 14 9/16" (135 x 37... German 1060.2010.4
Covering 100%

Covering

Franz Erhard Walther

1964

Covering 100% Franz Erhard Walther 1964 Fabric Sculpture Painting & Sculpture 82 11/16 x 43 5/16" (210 x ... German 1060.2010.3
Walking Piece, Pedestal 100%

Walking Piece, Pedestal

Franz Erhard Walther

1963-64

Walking Piece, Pedestal 100% Franz Erhard Walther 1963-64 Fabric Sculpture Painting & Sculpture 3 15/16 x 35 7/16 x 23 5/8"... German 1060.2010.2
Untitled 100%

Untitled

Franz Erhard Walther

1963

Untitled 100% Franz Erhard Walther 1963 Fabric Sculpture Painting & Sculpture 41 5/16 x 8 1/4" (105 x 21 cm) German 1060.2010.1
1. Werksatz 100%

1. Werksatz

Franz Erhard Walther

1963-69

1. Werksatz 100% Franz Erhard Walther 1963-69 Fabric, 58 pieces Sculpture Painting & Sculpture Dimensions variable German 1060.2010.1-58
With Direction (six) 100%

With Direction (six)

Franz Erhard Walther

1966

With Direction (six) 100% Franz Erhard Walther 1966 Fabric Sculpture Painting & Sculpture 86 5/8 x 59 1/16" (220 x 15... German 1060.2010.16