Myth and magic: Michael Werner's stellar summer show of modern masters

London's Michael Werner gallery presents 'Flora, Fauna and Other Life', featuring important works from an impressive list of modern masters.
Modern masters specialist Michael Werner has stayed true to excellent form this summer with an exhibition on 'Flora, Fauna and Other Forms of Life'. The show features important works from gallery favourites Hans Arp and Georg Baselitz, as well as influential examples from Enrico David, Paul Klee and Sigmar Polke, among many other exceptional names.
The high calibre works are all loosely affiliated with the theme of naturalistic imagery. All the featured works share an element of the grotesque, the metamorphoric and the down-right scary – such as the distorted actors that populate Friedrich Schröder Sonnenstern's drawings, which are one part humorous, two parts terrifying. There's the mad, grimacing scientist figure of Zynus Theory – whether Demon of Dessication and Withering (1953), or the long-limbed, stileto'd horse of The Moon Rider Official on a White Horse (1956).
Meanwhile, Hans Arp's fluid concrete sculpture, Pflanzengriffel (Pistil) (1959), interplays with AR Penck's patinated bronze S (1985). Both abstract shapes look like dark flowers sprouting from the white gallery space, and provide a moment of calm from the mythical madness. They contrast the other notable sculpture on display, Jörg Immendorff's Gertrude (2001); a bent-double bronze lady stumbling endlessly along on giant shoes.
The 'Other Forms of Life' aspect of the show is covered by the red-splashes of Sigmar Polke's Untitled (1996), where an open mouthed coy carp morphs into a dragon, or a hedgehog, or a snake, depending on your perspective.
'We wanted to create a dark physiological garden,' Kadee Robbins, the director at Michael Werner's London outpost told Wallpaper*. 'We wanted to populate the gallery with real and mythical creatures, plausible and far fetched plants.' This mingling of the magical with the factual takes gallery-goers on a folkloric dream they're not likely to wake from for some time.
The high calibre works are all loosely affiliated with the theme of naturalistic imagery. What ties the exhibition together more tightly is that all the featured works share an element of the grotesque, the metamorphoric and the down-right scary
Flora Fauna
Hans Arp's fluid concrete sculpture, Pflanzengriffel (pictured left) looks like a dark flower sprouting from the white gallery space, providing a moment of calm from the mythical madness
Distorted actors populate Schröder Sonnenstern's drawings, which are one part humorous, two parts terrifying – as evinced in the mad, grimacing scientist figure of Zynus Theory – whether Demon of Dessication and Withering (1953) (pictured left)
Pictured left: Untitled, by Sigmar Polke, 1996. Right: Gertrude, by Jörg Immendorff, 2001
'We wanted to create a dark physiological garden,' explains Kadee Robbins, director at Michael Werner Gallery, London. 'We wanted to populate the gallery with real and mythical creatures, plausible and far fetched plants'
Flora Fauna
INFORMATION
’Flora, Fauna and Other Forms of Life’ is on view until 17 September. For more information, visit the Michael Werner gallery website
ADDRESS
Michael Werner
22 Upper Brook Street
London, W1K 7PZ
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Elly Parsons is the Digital Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees Wallpaper.com and its social platforms. She has been with the brand since 2015 in various roles, spending time as digital writer – specialising in art, technology and contemporary culture – and as deputy digital editor. She was shortlisted for a PPA Award in 2017, has written extensively for many publications, and has contributed to three books. She is a guest lecturer in digital journalism at Goldsmiths University, London, where she also holds a masters degree in creative writing. Now, her main areas of expertise include content strategy, audience engagement, and social media.
-
The ultimate beach accessory? The Fiat Topolino Vilebrequin is a true meeting of minds
Fiat has teamed up with swimwear specialists Vilebrequin to create a Collector’s Edition of the pint-sized Topolino EV that pays homage to the glamour of Riviera life
-
Multi-functional furniture, integrated planting and a felt landscape shape this new office
Zeller & Moye’s new HQ space for a German IT company has been designed to accommodate every kind of office working situation, from introverted cubicles through to flexible open-plan spaces
-
Step inside a Hollywood Hills home where European design meets Californian ease
LA studio Broad Project takes us inside its cinematic renovation of a 1960s Spanish Revival home in the Hollywood Hills
-
Leila Bartell’s cloudscapes are breezily distorted, a response to an evermore digital world
‘Memory Fields’ is the London-based artist’s solo exhibition at Tristan Hoare Gallery (until 25 July 2025)
-
A bespoke 40m mixed-media dragon is the centrepiece of Glastonbury’s new chill-out area
New for 2025 is Dragon's Tail – a space to offer some calm within Glastonbury’s late-night area with artwork by Edgar Phillips at its heart
-
Emerging artist Kasia Wozniak’s traditional photography techniques make for ethereal images
Wozniak’s photographs, taken with a 19th-century Gandolfi camera, are currently on show at Incubator, London
-
Vincent Van Gogh and Anselm Kiefer are in rich and intimate dialogue at the Royal Academy of Arts
German artist Anselm Kiefer has paid tribute to Van Gogh throughout his career. When their work is viewed together, a rich relationship is revealed
-
Alice Adams, Louise Bourgeois, and Eva Hesse delve into art’s ‘uckiness’ at The Courtauld
New exhibition ‘Abstract Erotic’ (until 14 September 2025) sees artists experiment with the grotesque
-
Get lost in Megan Rooney’s abstract, emotional paintings
The artist finds worlds in yellow and blue at Thaddaeus Ropac London
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
It was a jam-packed week for the Wallpaper* staff, entailing furniture, tech and music launches and lots of good food – from afternoon tea to omakase
-
London calling! Artists celebrate the city at Saatchi Yates
London has long been an inspiration for both superstar artists and newer talent. Saatchi Yates gathers some of the best