Thomas Schütte: Collector's Choice Vol. 2 (Collector's Choice: Artist's Monographs: Friedrich Christian Flick Collection) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3832175016 ISBN 13: 9783832175016

Publisher: DuMont, 2009

Synopsis

Thomas Schtte has frequently cast himself into the role of a maverick--remained remote from the work of his artistic mentor, distanced himself from the statements of each ephemeral Zeitgeist and increasingly contradicted his own positions--and in so doing has become one of the most influential artists of his generation. Shifting from text to image to object to book, his work juxtaposes biographical moments with contemporary events, oscillates between the aspiration to shape the public reception of architecture and monumental sculpture and the conjunctive of model-maker, and projects avant-garde ideas onto traditional forms of art. With meticulous rigor, Ulrich Loock has observed the evolution of Schtte's output over the past 25 years. Underpinning his lucid overview is a series of intensive discussions between the author and artist on the genesis and history of particular works. This well-designed book is the most comprehensive monograph of the artist's work to date, and provides profound insight into Schtte's work through detailed discussions of the pieces.

About this title

Review

Thomas Schütte is a catalog of works by this contemporary German artist. Schütte studied under Gerhard Richter, Benjamin Buchloh, and Bernd and Hilla Becher at the Düsseldorf Academy in the 1970s. He comes from that strong conceptual background, but as his career matured the emotional content of his work evolved and became much more potent. Schütte's work is incredibly eclectic: ceramic figures, architectural models, drawings, outdoor sculptures, photographs, and installations. A recent work, Big Spirits (1996), is a collection of larger-than-life-size aluminum figures that seem to be morphing before one's eyes. They are at once ghost, human, and machine. Also riveting is The Innocents (1994), a series of photographs of the heads of handmade figurines, and United Enemies, A Play in Ten Scenes (1993)--offset lithographs, also of figurines wrapped in Schütte's clothes. His watercolors are beautiful, ranging from drawings of fruit to portraits of women. Whatever the project, Schütte is tapped in to a particular humanity.

Included in the book are essays by Julian Heynen and Angela Vettese, an interview with James Lingwood, and an essay by Roman philosopher Seneca, chosen by the artist. There is also a story by Schütte--printed in English for the first time. --Jennifer Cohen

About the Author

LYNNE COOKE is Curator of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain, and Curator at Large for the Dia Art Foundation, New York, USA. PENELOPE CURTIS is Curator at the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, UK. CHRISTINE MEHRING is Professor of Art History, the University of Chicago, USA.

Edition details

• Publisher: DuMont
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 3832175016
• ISBN 13: 9783832175016
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: LaBelle Brandon