Organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, H. C. Westermann’s (American, 1922–1981) first retrospective assembled an impressive collection of the artist’s work, including 49 sculptures and 10 drawings. Westermann created a portion of these works during the 1950s while working as a carpenter in Chicago. Eliciting an element of mysticism, many of Westermann’s constructions are presented in the style of a reliquary or altar. Often displaying a subtle wit, their playful, swirling shapes demonstrate Dada and surrealist inspiration—along with Minimalist abstraction—and evoke multiple interpretations and associations in the viewer’s mind.