SCHÜTTE, THOMAS
1954 Oldenburg

Title: Old Friends Revisited - Sepia -.
Subtitle: Complete Portfolio of 7 carbon prints.
Date: 2021.
Technique: Each: Inkjet carbon print on Tecco PM 230 Matt.
Depiction Size: 74.5 x 50 cm.
Sheet Size: 95 x 70 cm.
Number: Editioned 30/35.
Frame: In original portfolio.


This work is listed on the artist's website. (www.thomas-schuette.de)



Provenance:
- - Private Collection Germany (directly from the artist)



- Schütte is one of the most sought-after contemporary artists

- Expressive, grotesquely distorted heads of psychological intensity and iconic recognisability

- A limited-edition portfolio in pristine condition – a highly sought-after collector’s item



The sculptor and draughtsman Thomas Schütte is one of the most influential artists of our time. After studying at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1973 to 1981 under Fritz Schwegler and Gerhard Richter, he developed a multifaceted body of work encompassing sculpture, architectural models, drawing, photography and installation. Early on, exhibitions such as the ‘Westkunst’ in Cologne and his presentation at the Konrad Fischer Gallery brought him international recognition. His participation in documenta, the Münster Sculpture Projects and the Venice Biennale has cemented his standing. Schütte’s works are characterised by a balance of humour, irony and existential seriousness. Stylistically, he deliberately defies clear categorisation, yet repeatedly draws on figurative traditions, which he distorts, exaggerates and imbues with psychological significance.



The portfolio *Old Friends Revisited* represents a translation of the eponymous series of sculptures into the medium of print. The original series comprises numerous sculptural heads in clay and ceramics, some clad in textiles, in which Schütte explores human physiognomy in a radically exaggerated form. In the seven sepia-toned pigment prints, these heads appear as photographic reproductions: deformed, with bulbous, melting and grotesquely distorted features. The surfaces appear soft and vulnerable, yet at the same time frozen into mask-like forms. Fragments of fabric suggest clothing and lend the figures an added sense of physical presence. The muted colour palette evokes associations with memory and transience, reinforcing the impression of a detached retrospective view of ‘friends’ who are familiar yet have become strangers. Within Schütte’s oeuvre, the ‘Blätter’ represent a medium-specific extension of his sculptural work and powerfully explore questions of identity, expression and temporality.



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#Thomas Schütte #Figurative Art #Germany #Post-War Art #Photography #Portrait bust #2020s #Prints.







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