In Los Angeles, Robert Therrien’s “Under the Table” (1994) is a standout piece at The Broad. This 10-foot-tall (approximately 3-meter) enlarged version of a Gunlocke table, accompanied by six chairs, dominates a surprisingly small room at the museum. Visitors frequently gather under it, captivated by its monumental scale and taking photos beneath its vast underside.
“Artists can often be overshadowed by their most famous creations,” shared Broad curator Ed Schad in a conversation with Hyperallergic. “Within the Los Angeles art scene, Robert Therrien is well-known. However, beyond the fame of that sculpture, he remains relatively obscure to a broader audience.” The exhibition “Robert Therrien: This is a Story,” curated by Schad and running through April 5, seeks to broaden public understanding. It showcases over 120 works spanning five decades, highlighting Therrien’s unique exploration of form and material, inspired by his personal history.
Therrien, born in Chicago in 1947, relocated with his family to Palo Alto, California, at age nine to benefit his health. His childhood fascinations with cartoons and comics shaped his artistic journey. After studying at Oakland’s California College of Arts and Crafts and pursuing printmaking and painting in Santa Barbara, he moved to Los Angeles in 1971 to earn his MFA at the University of Southern California. There, his studio on Pico Boulevard became the creative hub for his art for nearly two decades.
In his early career, Therrien crafted enigmatic sculptures drawn from childhood memories—such as coffins, chapels, and snowmen—often revisiting and transforming these motifs. These evolving forms, as Schad notes, shift materials and meanings, echoing the fluidity seen in Constantin Brâncuși’s work. Therrien’s sculptures, while minimalistic in appearance, are enriched by personal memories and an inventive approach to materials.
Despite his inclination towards privacy, Therrien’s works invite personal interpretation, often titled “No title” to encourage viewer engagement. His art, characterized by deadpan humor and childhood nostalgia, gained recognition in the 1980s with exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA and the Whitney Biennial. His collaborations with art fabricators in the 1990s resulted in larger sculptures, blending whimsy with a subtle sense of anxiety.
