COLOGNE.- Beginning December 2009 Museum Ludwig will be showing the first major retrospective of Franz West (born 1947 in Vienna) in Europe. The Austrian sculptor is one of the most influential artists of our times. Over 40 works dating from 1972 to the present, which in some cases the artist has grouped together in themed constellations, allow the visitor to experience the sheer complexity and singularity of his oeuvre. The title Auto-Theatre underlines the performative, interactive dimension of his work. According to Franz West his Passstücke (Adaptives) “are sculptures as it were that one can pick up and use to gesticulate however one sees fit”. West has also extended this dialogue with the viewer to include his furniture sculptures, which he has produced since the mid-eighties and