Thomas Schütte

Thomas Schütte is celebrated for his versatile and experimental approach to sculpture, watercolour, printmakign and installation art. Born in 1954 in Oldenburg, Germany, Schütte studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in the 1970s, where he was influenced by the avant-garde teachings of Gerhard Richter, Daniel Buren and Benjamin Buchloh. Over the years, Schütte has developed a distinctive body of work that defies categorisation, often shifting between figuration and conceptual art.

Schütte’s work frequently explores themes of human vulnerability, power dynamics and societal structures, employing a wide range of materials including bronze, steel and ceramics. ‘I am interested in the grammar of character,’ the artist proclaimed in 1994. His sculptures often depict distorted or exaggerated human forms, a vessel through which Schütte explores narrative and highlight the fragility and complexity of the human condition. ‘I would rather talk with my hands and through forms and let these creatures live their own lives and tell their own stories.’

Schütte’s interest in the human condition may be said to take root in his early preoccupations with architectural forms. In many ways, the figural sculptures may be understood as conceptual extensions of the architectural models he began producing in the 1980s — both are conceived as formal, spatial and material challenges. ‘I would rather talk with my hands and through forms and let these creatures live their own lives and tell their own stories,’ he said.

Throughout his career, Schütte has received numerous accolades, including the Golden Lion for Best Artist at the Venice Biennale in 2005. In 2014, his Großer Geist Nr. 6 (1996) sold at Christie’s New York for US$5,317,000, setting a world auction record for the artist. His work is housed in leading international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Tate Modern in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.