A big deal: Robert Therrien's huge sculptures on show in LA

Towering stacks of oversized saucers and furniture fit for giants are some of the treasures on display in Los Angeles at a new exhibition of the work of Robert Therrien.

The landmark showing at The Broad is the largest ever museum exhibition of the late artist's oeuvre.

With more than 120 works created over five decades, the show offers visitors the chance to explore both the intimate sketches and the large-scale work of one of Los Angeles' most celebrated artists.

"There's a lot of works in this show that are sort of an environmental headspace," Paul Cherwick, co-director of the Robert Therrien Estate, told AFP.

"Being under those tables...where it takes you in that area of like remembering being a different size and scale.

"Your...perceptions are altered.
"

Therrien, who died in 2019 at the age of 71, bucked the minimalist trend in sculpture during the late 20th century, reimagining the mundane as gigantic immersive artworks.

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Museum managers promise visitors will be able to walk under the huge table and chairs, marvel at enormous hanging beards, and wonder at the stacks of pans huddled in a human-sized cupboard.

Ed Schad, curator at The Broad, said the sheer size of some of the exhibits had an almost visceral effect on the viewer.

"Sometimes things are bigger than us, sometimes things are smaller than us, but that impacts us physically, but it also impacts us psychologically," he said.

"So when I look at this table and chairs, I think of those experiences from our childhood that might still loom very large for us."

"Robert Therrien: This is a Story" runs at The Broad until April 5. 

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