Thomas Schütte (b. 1954 in Oldenburg, Germany) is one of the leading artists of
his generation, working across a variety of mediums, creating powerfully
expressive figurative forms that explore the human condition and material
experimentation. Schütte’s Bronzefrau is from the artist’s singular series of
contorted female figures, which originated as 120 clay sketches that explore the
female figure, by squeezing, cutting, rolling and pounding the material. The form
fluctuates between being playfully abstract and brutally assaulting, capturing a
physical as well as an emotional metamorphosis. Bronzefrau suggests a dialogue
with the history of figurative sculpture, particularly Maillol and Matisse, yet
Schütte’s Frauen also stand apart in a world of its own, defying classification.