Divertissement (nach Pascal)

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© Generali Foundation Collection—Permanent Loan to the Museum der Moderne Salzburg, Photo: Wolfgang Wössner

Franz West

Divertissement (nach Pascal), 1987

Sculpture Iron, wood, paper-mâché, painted in various colors 80 x 240 x 45 cm

GF0000107.00.0-1994

Artwork text

Human beings are so inevitably fools that it would be foolish in another way not to be one. (Blaise Pascal) This human “foolishness” is given another, very characteristic name in Pascal’s works. This is “divertissement,” “amusements,” which for him means not only games and pastimes, but also thousands of other things that are considered serious, to which we devote our time in order to be able to escape from the one important occupation we do not want engage in. (Franz West)